Blood Red Moon: Rewritten
by Starian NightZz
Summary: AU FemNaru. Ragnarok is a secret organisation which kills in the name of justice and only kills criminals of the highest order. When ANBU Captain Uchiha Itachi met Namikaze Shiki, the leader of Ragnarok, their relationship was then put to the test.
1. Namikaze Shiki

_Summary:_

_AU FemNaru. __Ragnarok is a secret organisation which kills in the name of justice and only kills criminals of the highest order. When Uchiha Itachi, a captain with the ANBU – Japan's law enforcer agency was sent undercover into a dance met a mysterious girl named Namikaze Shiki who turned out to be the leader of Ragnarok – the organisation that ANBU is after, their love and feelings are put to the test. War is looming on the horizon and the Sound organisation – a dangerous criminal syndicate that both Ragnarok and ANBU have been after for some time now had made an appearance and only Shiki and Itachi can stop them._

This is the rewritten version of _Blood Red Moon. _Like before, this is completely AU, and Jinchuurikis do not exist in this story. This rewritten version will go more in depth about Shiki's (Naruto's) past, and how Ragnarok came to be.

**Disclaimer: **Parts of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter One: Namikaze Shiki**

_Nin-users__…_

_People with strange powers and abilities which sets them apart from others. No one really knew how nin-users received their powers, but a nin-user is decided from birth when some fragment of their abilities will be shown, and which will be fully awakened at any random time some years down the road._

_And it was because that they were different as well that people feared them and their powers, and many treated them as abominations to be killed or the cause of wars. As such, many nin-users were killed, and those that survived fled and hid their powers away from others. _

_Many years passed, and when civilisation developed, an organisation named ANBU was formed. This organisation was the defence and fighting force of Japan, and had the responsibility to oversee the safety of Japan. And even though the one who commands the forces of ANBU is the ANBU commander, the head of all ANBU is the ANBU Chief who only ever exerts his authority in an emergency._

_Years passed, and because of the people's senseless fear of nin-users, a civil war broke out…with people who do not hate nin-users on one side, and people who hate them on the other side. And caught in between them are the nin-users themselves…_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Hagako:_

The city of Hagako is without a doubt, one of the most dangerous places in Japan, especially since gangs infested this very city, and gang fights and murder were just part of everyday life. Some of the gangs in this very city defended the weak, but other gangs merely kill or fight just for mere pleasure. And usually, majority of the 'bad' gangs resided in the slums of Hagako. It's also extremely common to see gangs comprising of members as young as five-years-old, especially since it's the only way to survive.

And it was also in this very city where one could find a five-year-old girl with fiery red hair with golden highlights to it cascading down to her back and cerulean blue eyes. It was raining heavily that night, and not a soul was out on the streets.

The girl was breathing heavily as she held onto the wall of a building in Hagako. Her eyes were glazed over, and injuries were visible over all over her body. Namikaze Shiki winced as sharp pain passed through her body and she held onto her left arm. It had taken her two years to escape that lab and that man…especially since she was one of the most powerful nin-users ever lived.

Both her parents had died when she was born as a result of the civil war that was still going on in Japan, and she had been bounced from foster home to foster home, never staying long at one as it won't be long before her powers go out of control. And it wasn't long before she was sold to that man by one of her foster parents.

Shiki has powers over the mind as well as manipulate time and control over the five elements. That's what exactly made her so powerful and feared as a nin-user, and precisely because of that very reason that she couldn't control her powers.

'_Why? Why must this keep happening?!'_

Shiki slid down to the ground, not having the strength to move another step any longer. She has no idea how long that she sat there, being drenched in the rain, but she didn't care. The sounds of footsteps reached her ears just then, and she looked up only to see a man with silver hair reaching to the middle of his back.

"I found you, Shiki," said the man.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Three months had passed since she entered Hagako.

That man, Shiki learned his name to be Jiraiya. He was the teacher of her father who is a freelance agent by trade, and her mother was his partner. He had been searching for her ever since both her parents died and she had vanished. Jiraiya knew that Shiki is a nin-user as both her parents are too, though they've managed to keep it quiet.

It had taken her a little over a month in order to heal from her injuries, and Jiraiya had taught her how to fight and to control her powers just so that she can protect herself if the man that she had escaped from came after her again.

Three months after she came to Hagako, Shiki woke up in the small apartment that Jiraiya had rented to find him gone and a note from him stating that he'll be gone for the week to do some 'research', and she sighed. She knew from her time with Jiraiya that his 'research' consists of him peeking in on the women's hot springs for his novel, Icha Icha Paradise. And other than being a novelist, Jiraiya is also an information specialist and one of the world's top spies.

Sighing, she decided to go out of the apartment for the day since her injuries were long healed, and anyway, she can defend herself quite easily even without the usage of her powers. Shiki raised a brow as she noticed that several people in the streets were giving her a wide berth as she walked past.

Just a week ago, she had taken out one of the gangs as they'd tried to kill her just for the fun of it only to have it backfiring on them. And just as she was walking past an alley, she heard angry yells and screams.

"_What the fuck are you trying to do?!"_

**

* * *

**Sumaru was not having a good day.

Hagako is the fifth city that he'd tried living in with his two best friends, especially since with the civil war, they are unable to stay long at every town and city that they'd tried so far. And they'd barely been in Hagako for more than two hours before they were targeted by a gang.

'_Oh great. I'm going to die in a place like this?'_

"Urgk!"

Sumaru opened his eyes, and on either side of him, Hotaru and Mizure opened their eyes as well only to see the gang member about to stab Sumaru collapsed to the ground, a knife stuck in his back. And standing behind him was a girl about their age.

"Y-You are…!" One of the gang members whimpered.

"What are you waiting for?! Get her!"

"W-Wait! She's—"

Sumaru, Hotaru and Mizure stiffened as they saw the cold glint in the eyes of that girl, and as one, they looked away only to hear loud screams and thuds before there was silence. A few seconds passed before Sumaru dared to open his eyes, and he immediately wished that he hadn't as the gang members who had been threatening them a few moments earlier lay dead…every single one of them.

"You…you didn't have to go that far!"

The girl turned towards them, and Sumaru whimpered at the murderous look in her eyes. "You idiots… Don't you people even understand your situation?!"

"Huh?"

"It's either kill or be killed here. This is the way that this world works."

"I…"

"You know that's the truth."

The girl turned around again before Hotaru called out to her. "Wait! Will you be staying here long?"

"I don't know," said the girl, turning to face them. "Maybe."

**

* * *

**But Shiki met them again the next night.

She was sitting at the docks of the sea, watching the ships and boats passing by when she heard footsteps behind her and knew them as the three whom she had met the previous night.

"You guys don't give up, do you?" she asked, turning to face the three. She sighed. "…fine. I guess I can hang around for a while. I kind of like this place, anyway."

"Can we come with you?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Within three years, Shiki soon found herself being the object of admiration with several other people whom she had somehow 'saved'. First were Sumaru and his friends. The next was a boy named Sai and his foster brother, Yamato. Then five others – Riku, Sara, Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin.

And so begun the street gang Blade, Hagako's most feared and legendary gang.

With the formation of Blade, the crimes committed by the other gangs gradually dropped, and Hagako was safer…by only a little. Two years after Blade was formed marks the end of the civil war to which everyone was relieved for, but the aftermath of the war left ANBU with a whole lot of shit to clean up as it was the late ANBU Chief which discriminates against the nin-users, and to protect nin-users from harm, the newly appointed ANBU Chief set up several nin-user laws.

But unfortunately for Shiki…trouble follows her everywhere she goes. Three years after Blade was formed and a year after the end of the civil war…several assassins sent by a certain organisation entered the city of Hagako…and their target was the street gang Blade.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was raining heavily, and the streets were nearly ankle high with rainwater.

The rain was drenching Namikaze Shiki through, but she acts as if she didn't feel the rain drenching her through or even that she was freezing. Her eyes were wide with shock, cradling Riku's body in her arms.

Dead…

All of them dead…

The attack had begun a few hours ago. Those black-suited assassins… Sumaru and the others had managed to get away after Shiki had threatened them with dire threats. She knew that Sai had too, but wasn't sure about Yamato as she had seen him fighting off about five of those assassins earlier. But Riku, Sara, Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo…they weren't so lucky…

'_Riku…Karin…Sara…Suigetsu…Juugo…'_

The bodies of the assassins who had killed off nearly the entire gang lay about on the streets of Hagako. Blood ran down the streets as well.

That night…Hagako truly lives up to it's name as City of the Dead.

**

* * *

**And it was this scene which Shiranui Genma, Gekkou Hayate, Shizune and Uzuki Yugao, friends from one of Japan's top high schools came across.

"What the hell just happened here?" wondered Shizune, staring with wide eyes at the blood soaked streets as well as at the number of dead bodies littering the streets, along with the one lone girl on her knees in the middle of the street, cradling a dead body in her arms.

"Excuse me. What happened here?" asked Yugao gently, approaching the girl cautiously.

Silence.

"Excuse me? Are you alright?" asked Genma, really alarmed now. The look in the girl's eyes was scaring even him. It didn't even look humane.

"…those bastards didn't come."

"Huh?"

"The ANBU. They didn't come to help…even though we believed that they would. They didn't come. They left us to die. Riku and the others are dead. They wouldn't be…wouldn't be dead…if the ANBU came! They abandoned us…just like everyone else!"

The four friends exchanged looks. They knew what had happened now. They knew of Hagako's reputation as one of the gang infested cities in Japan, and knew enough to put together the pieces. Shizune and Yugao can't help sympathising with the girl.

"Can we—"

"Leave."

The two women exchanged looks. "But—"

"Leave!" The girl turned to face them, her eyes looking extremely murderous. "I don't need your help!"

Genma placed a hand on his girlfriend, Shizune's arm, stopping her in her tracks. He knew that the girl is now too furious to listen to anyone or anything. "I understand," he said. "If you need any help…any at all…go to Cat's Eye in the town of Hikawa if you need us. Tell the bartender there that you're sent by us. I'm Shiranui Genma."

"Uzuki Yugao."

"Gekkou Hayate."

"Shizune."

The girl seemed to be calming down enough. "I appreciate the thought, but I don't require any assistance," she said. "Please leave."

**

* * *

**The rain had long stopped and the sun was setting, and one Namikaze Shiki could be seen giving her friends a proper burial in the local cemetery. Two kids around her age, a brunette boy and a dark blue haired girl were entering the cemetery when they stopped at the sight of this.

"Excuse me…"

Shiki turned to face the two, and the two kids were startled to see tears falling from her eyes.

"A-Are you alright?"

"I couldn't save them…" she muttered, and the two kids aren't even sure if she's telling them or just talking to herself. "I promised, and I failed. I failed to protect them. We waited, you know? We tried to draw for time…to delay them… We believed that the ANBU will come… But it is all a fool's hope! They're just like everyone else…just like everyone else! They abandoned us!"

The two exchanged looks. "You're a nin-user, aren't you?" asked the brunette boy, and Shiki turned towards him. "We never thought that we'll meet another one here."

"Then you two are…"

The boy nodded. "We're cousins…and also nin-users," he said. "I'm Hyuuga Neji. This is Hyuuga Hinata, my cousin. Our families died in the war a few years back, and we're the only survivors. My power is to create barriers."

"Mine is to control and manipulate water, and I can attack a person's internal system as well," said Hinata. "We came here a few years ago, but like every town that we tried…living here…is nearly impossible."

"It's the same everywhere," said Shiki, now building the headstones of her friends.

"We'll help too."

"It's best if you leave, seriously," said Shiki sharply, turning towards them. "People tend to have a habit of dying around me. You shouldn't stick around."

**

* * *

**But they were back again the next day.

It was early morning, and Shiki was at the docks of Hagako, making the door for the nearly completed boathouse that she had been building for nearly three years. All that it'll take is a coat of paint, and it'll be done.

"You're here again?" said Shiki, looking up at them whilst in the midst of fixing the motor on the boathouse. "Didn't I tell you to leave?"

"We want to come with you," said Hinata stubbornly. "We don't know any other nin-users, and nin-users should stick with each other. Furthermore, we _wanted _to come with you."

Silence.

"…they said the same thing too, you know," said Shiki. "And they died. You'll die too if you stick with me…especially since you're also nin-users."

"We don't care."

Shiki sighed and shrugged. "Do as you wish."

Hinata and Neji exchanged smiles. "What're you doing?" asked Neji, looking at the boathouse with interest.

"Building a boathouse," said Shiki, nailing in the final nail of the door. "It's their dream…our dream. We wanted to build a boathouse…so that we can travel all over the world together. It was nearly completed when…"

Neji and Hinata do not know what to say. They instead studied the boathouse. It was fairly large, nearly two storeys high with a roof at the top, with windows. There was even glass for the windows. The boathouse was fairly well made.

"You still require paint for it, right?" said Neji, breaking the silence. "What colour do you want for it?"

"Blue and white."

Neji was soon back in a few minutes with a few paint cans and brushes from the nearby painting shop, and the three children spent the whole day painting the boathouse. At least painting seemed to take Shiki's mind off the tragedy that had happened, and Neji and Hinata were relieved to see her smiling.

"It's done," said Shiki as they admired the boathouse when the sun was setting.

"Yeah," said Hinata with a nod. "Are you planning to go somewhere on this?"

"Yeah," said Shiki with a nod. "I'm leaving this place…then I was thinking of travelling the world or something. Just to fulfil their wish, you know? But maybe…I should drop by Hikawa…to see those people who had tried to help."

"Will you be leaving now?"

"Yeah," said Shiki, turning towards them. "I hadn't introduced myself yet, have I? I'm Shiki. Namikaze Shiki. Nice to meet you."


	2. Mutation

**Disclaimer: **Parts of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Two: Mutation**

It was raining heavily when the boathouse – which all three had decided to name _Phoenix _– had pulled in at the docks of the town of Hikawa. It was currently night-time, and hardly anyone was around on the streets because of the bad weather.

Neji was the one steering the boathouse – both himself and his cousin having been taught how by Shiki – and he cut the engine of the boathouse off as Shiki stepped out of the shelter of the boathouse before throwing a rope around the anchor point at the dock, fixing the boathouse in place.

Hinata snapped shut the lights of the boathouse before stepping out, all three kids having on raincoats over their clothing, having bought the raincoats, along with a first-aid medical kit in case of emergency, stocking it in the boathouse itself. Hinata had also sensibly gone grocery shopping before a kind cafe owner in the city of Hagako was kind enough to assist them in getting a mini stove, along with cabinets and fixed a mini kitchen in the boathouse for them so that they won't have to worry about starving if they can't get out of the boathouse because of bad weather or something.

Hinata and Neji watched as Shiki locked up the boathouse before leaping onto the docks and leading the way towards the town, Hinata and Neji on either side of her. Shiki looked left and right as they walked down the streets, in search of the cafe-cum-bar that those people whom had tried to help her in Hagako had mentioned.

It wasn't that difficult to find since there's only one shop still opened, with the lights still on, despite the horrible weather that declared all shops closed in this town. An ivory plate hung above the door, with the words 'Cat's Eye' written on it in cursive writing, with the picture of a black cat carved into it.

As Shiki pushed opened the door, a bell tinkled somewhere in the shop, and all three entered the cafe, rainwater dripping from the ends of the raincoats that they were wearing. The shop vendor, a brunette young man who looked to be about sixteen or so, with his hair tied up in a pineapple hairstyle, a scar across his nose looked up in the midst of wiping dry some glasses. He was dressed in a simple polo T-shirt and jeans, and he looked mournfully at the sight of the rainwater dripping all over his nice clean floor before getting out from behind the counter and handed Shiki, Hinata and Neji some towels to towel themselves dry before grabbing a mop standing in a corner and proceeded to clean his floor.

Shiki looked around the cafe only to see the four that she had met nearly a week ago at Hagako sitting at the bar counter, looking at them curiously before their faces lit up in recognition. Two others were sitting with them, a brunette young man and a raven-haired young woman with red eyes.

"You came," said Shizune with a smile as she motioned for the three empty seats beside her which Shiki, Hinata and Neji took. "Iruka, three cups of hot chocolate for them, please."

"Sure," said Iruka before proceeding to make some steaming cups of hot chocolate. The aroma soon reached their nostrils, and Hinata sniffed in the pleasant aroma eagerly, never having smelt such a nice smell for a long time. "You never told me that you knew these kids, Shizune."

"Shizune, who are they?" asked the woman with the red eyes, looking at Shiki, Neji and Hinata curiously. "Do you know them?"

"Yeah. We ran into them nearly a week ago in Hagako," said Yugao, taking a sip from her cup of coffee. "The redhead's the girl that we told you about." She turned towards Shiki, Neji and Hinata. "The lady's Yuuhi Kurenai. And the guy is Sarutobi Asuma."

"…Namikaze Shiki."

"Hyuuga Hinata."

"Hyuuga Neji."

"Nice to meet you," said Kurenai with a smile, but her eyes betrayed her as she seemed shocked to see such young children out in the streets alone at night.

"What are you doing here?" asked Yugao with curiosity. "Don't get me wrong, we're glad that you're here, but why did you come here?"

Shiki shrugged. "Just seemed like a good place to come to," she said. "We left. Left Hagako, I mean. There are too many memories there. It just seemed like a good idea to leave. And we thought that we would like to travel around for sometime…see the world or something. It's not like there is anywhere for us to go to."

Kurenai and Asuma exchanged startled looks before looking closely at the three children before Kurenai's eyes softened and Asuma sighed. "I see…" said Asuma. "Nin-users, huh?" Shiki, Neji and Hinata snapped their heads around to Asuma in alarm. "Don't worry. We're not one of those idiots out there. We don't have anything against nin-users. I guess that explains why the three of you are out here alone."

"But what are you going to do now?" asked Hayate in concern. "Don't get me wrong. But how are you going to survive out there? You need to find a way to get money as well as food and water. And not to mention lodgings."

"Don't worry about us," said Shiki. "We managed on our own for years. We usually do odd jobs or requests to get money, and that gives us food and water. As for lodgings…we have our own boathouse which we built. We sleep in there."

Shizune smiled. "Seems like you can take care of yourselves," she said before taking a sip of her coffee. "This cafe-cum-bar is owned by our classmate at school." She gestured towards Iruka who was listening to their conversation with interest. "He's Umino Iruka. His parents died a few years ago during the war, and they left their shop to him. He's been doing a great job running it so far. If you need a place to go to, or just to talk, just come here, okay? I'm sure that Iruka won't mind, would you?" Iruka shook his head, smiling a pleasant smile at Shiki, Hinata and Neji. "We're usually here during the nights as we go to the high school here. This shop is also usually opened in late afternoons."

"T-Thank you…" whispered Hinata, and Kurenai smiled a motherly smile at the blue-haired girl.

Asuma sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with the former ANBU Chief as well," he said, grumbling something below his breath. "My old man and his student are left with a fine mess to clean up. And they've been doing it for _years!"_

"Asuma's father is the current ANBU Chief," explained Genma, seeing Shiki's curious look. "After the war ended a few years ago, the former ANBU Chief and the ANBU commander were kicked out of office and executed by the High Council. Asuma's father – Sarutobi Hizuren – was appointed the new ANBU Chief, and his student, Senju Tsunade, was appointed the new ANBU commander. But they're left with a fine mess to clean up as their predecessors did a fine job at running the country and the ANBU." He said sarcastically.

ANBU is an organisation that protects the law and order of this country. Japan also has a High Council which rarely takes charge of things, preferring to allow the leaders of the ANBU to run things. The only time when the sixteen members of the High Council take control of things is when they feel that things are escalating out of control, or when they feel that the leaders of the ANBU are corrupted, or when it's wartime. As such, to prevent corruption from taking place within the High Council, the High Council has a strict member rule in which the members of the High Council will be switched every four years, and the former members of the High Council will choose their successors, and a strict screening process and background check will be performed on each member by the Intelligence HQ.

The ANBU commander, on the other hand, takes charge of the ANBU agents, which main headquarters is located at Leaf City, the capital city of Japan, along with the ANBU Academy – a special school used to train potential and aspiring future ANBU agents who were scouted by various ANBU scouts.

The ANBU Chief's office, on the other hand, is located at the Intelligence HQ at Wind City – the High Council and the Japan government's headquarters. ANBU also has a special prison which is mainly used to execute high profile criminals, and said prison is located at Mist Isle, an island used during the last Great War two decades ago to imprison the prisoners-of-war. Now, it's mainly used to imprison high profile criminals or for execution.

"By the way, I've heard some things from my old man," said Asuma seriously, stirring his coffee, and everyone turned towards him. "He said something about Orochimaru acting up again."

All the teens in the shop froze, and Shiki froze. She remembered this name as Jiraiya had mentioned this name to her in passing when she had asked him about the man who did that to her when Jiraiya was taking care of her a few years ago in Hagako.

"Who's Orochimaru?" asked Neji curiously, and all the teens turned towards him.

Shizune exchanged glances with Genma before turning towards Neji. "He's…a monster," said Shizune. "He prided himself on being a scientist and researcher, and conducted various illegal experiments which resulted in several people's deaths. He used to be one of Asuma's father's old students when he was in college. Sarutobi-sama's other two students were Senju Tsunade and Jiraiya—" Shiki gave a soft gasp which went unnoticed. "—Tsunade-sama is now one of the world's greatest medics, and the current ANBU commander, whilst Jiraiya-sama is Japan's greatest spy and espionage expert. Both Tsunade-sama and Orochimaru majored in the medical and research field when they later went to the ANBU Academy after college, and Jiraiya choose to major in the espionage field. We don't know what happened, but what we do know is that Orochimaru went mad, and conducted illegal experiments. He was exiled and was supposedly put on death row, but he somehow managed to escape. After that, we heard from Jiraiya-sama that Orochimaru has several major contacts in the underworld, and he vanished not long after. He's currently Japan's number one criminal."

Hayate snorted in disgust. "He doesn't value human lives at all!" he said, nearly crushing his cup in his hand. "Anko nearly died at his hands because of his experiments! She was lucky that we managed to find her in time, or she would have died!"

"Orochimaru…let's just say that he has an unhealthy obsession with nin-users and their abilities," said Yugao, glancing at the three children. "Before he turned rogue and gone mad, it was known that he was obsessed with nin abilities and was trying to figure out how the nin-users got their abilities in the first place. It was not long after that he went mad. Several nin-users died at his hands too…most of them were A-class to B-class nin-users."

Nin-users were also ranked accordingly to exactly how powerful they are. Neji, Shiki and Hinata were all A-class nin-users, though because they are still young, and their powers are still growing, they're bound to reach at least S-class once they reached maturity. Neji's power was the power over barriers. He can cast a defensive barrier, an offensive barrier, and even a time barrier to freeze time. Hinata's power was to control water, and she can heal as long as there's water as well.

Shiki's power was a little complicated. She has the power over runic spells…though whether or not that has to do to the fact that she's part-German, she has yet to know. And she has some power in casting time barriers – freezing or going back in time within the barrier – and she also has some power over the five elements and some mind abilities. Though whether those abilities were originally hers or given to her by the experiments that a certain snake had performed on her was unknown.

"Anyway, my old man was telling me that there were rumours that he had been sighted in this town," said Asuma seriously, and everyone froze. "That's why there were hardly anyone about outside, and why all the shops were closing early recently."

"Now that you mention it…" frowned Iruka. "I hadn't seen Gaara, Temari and Kankuro about for some time now."

Shizune blinked and turned towards her. "The three orphans that you sometimes give free food to?" she questioned.

Iruka nodded. "They were nin-users as well," he added, glancing towards Shiki's direction. "A-class, by the looks of things. Gaara has complete control over sand, able to create and control it as he wish. Temari, his older sister has control over wind in which she can even listen to the messages that the wind tells her. Kankuro's power is a little like Gaara's. But he can only control sand and manipulate the earth of his surroundings. He _cannot _create it out of nothing like how Gaara and Temari could. Their parents were killed during the last war, and they have no relatives that could take care of them. I found them on the streets about three years ago when Gaara, the youngest among the three, was down with a serious fever, and all three were starving. I took care of them, and I told them that if they couldn't find any food, they're always welcomed here."

Yugao frowned. "When's the last time that you saw them, Iruka?" she asked.

Iruka frowned. "About five days ago, I think," he said slowly, trying to remember.

Asuma froze in mid-stir. "That's around the time when Orochimaru was rumoured to be sighted around here," he nearly whispered in shock, turning as pale as Neji's eyes. "You don't think…?"

"Where was Orochimaru last seen?!" Genma nearly demanded.

"On Fifth Street," said Asuma before fishing out his cellphone. "I'm telephoning my father. He needs to know about this…"

A bell tinkled somewhere in the shop, and all the teens present turned towards the seats where the three children were seated earlier, and all blinked simultaneously as they noticed that their seats were empty, and their raincoats were also gone. A few ryou notes were placed on the counter where they were seating at earlier to pay for their drinks.

**

* * *

**_Fifth Street; Hagako:_

The rain was not letting up anytime soon as Shiki, Hinata and Neji arrived at Fifth Street. Inwardly, Shiki was glad for the rain as it meant that no one will be around to witness what they're about to do. The only lights visible in the street that they're currently standing in are the various street lamps all around the street.

Shiki turned towards Neji. "Do it."

Neji nodded before putting up his right hand which glowed blue, then, the street that they're standing in glowed blue as well, and it was like time was running backwards as various images appeared before it finally stopped, and the rain suddenly stopped in the areas where it's glowing blue.

The three children watched as the paperboy rode by on his bike, throwing out newspapers at the front doors of the various shops and houses. One landed by Shiki's foot, and she looked down only to see the words _'The Daily Times' _written across the top in thick black cursive writing, and the headline news was _'Orochimaru Sighted!' _

A large photograph of the mad scientist was visible on the front page, and Shiki privately thought to himself that he didn't even remotely look human or even sane as there was a crazed look in his eyes. His golden eyes were silted like that of a snake, and Shiki can see where Orochimaru got the name 'snake' from.

Light laughter sounded just then, and Shiki tore her eyes away from the newspaper and saw three children around their age running down the streets. The one at the front was a redhead around her age with pale green eyes, and wearing a simple black shirt and shorts, smiling slightly. A girl who seemed to be about two years older than him was running alongside him, her sandy-blonde hair tied up in four pigtails. A brunette boy with an angry scowl on his face was chasing after them.

"Stop right there, Gaara, Temari!" yelled the brunette boy.

"Your fault that you didn't wake up when we called you, Kankuro!" called the girl who was known as Temari.

"Oof!"

Temari and Kankuro stopped running as they saw that their youngest brother had collided into a man wearing a smart suit, and he had fallen on his behind.

"Gaara!" called out Temari before she reached her brother, placing one arm around his shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm sorry!" whimpered Gaara, looking at the man that he had bumped into with frightened eyes.

The man merely smirked, and three others exited out of the dark blue van that was parked by the side. "Amachi-sama, are these kids them?" asked one of them.

"A blonde, a brunette and a redhead…" mused Amachi, running an appraising eye over the three children. "Seems to be. It's them alright. Get them!"

"Gaara!" yelped Temari as one of the men grabbed her brother, and she bit down on that offending hand. Hard. "Let go of my brother, you son of a bitch!"

"My, my, what language," sneered Amachi. "Knock them out."

"Sir!"

The three men then placed gas masks over their faces, with Amachi putting on one as well before one of them brought out a canister before spraying some unknown substance at the three children who were struggling to get away before they were knocked out almost instantly.

"Got the package," said Amachi, removing the mask. "Orochimaru-sama will be pleased. Back to base! At the old abandoned warehouse at Sixteenth Street!"

"Sir!"

Neji let the time barrier fell, and time started flowing normally once more. Hinata and Neji looked at each other before glancing as one at Shiki who had an unreadable expression on her face, but to anyone who knew her, they knew that she's extremely pissed off.

"Let's go," said Shiki before walking down the street.

"Where are we going?" asked Hinata as they struggled to keep up with Shiki's fast strides. The redhead may not look it, but she can be extremely fast when she wants to. "Aren't you going to telephone the ANBU?"

"The day that I call the ANBU for help is the day when the sun rises from the west," spat Shiki. "No. We're going to save those three ourselves. We know where they are. And I doubt that anyone will be in with those three right now…with this horrible weather."

"But how are we going to deal with any attackers if there are any?" asked Neji. "We don't have guns or any weapons!"

Shiki sighed. "You're a nin-user, Neji," she said with exasperation. "Use your powers!"

"Oh."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Sixteenth Street:_

Only one problem…

…which one is it?

Shiki nearly groaned to herself as the three looked up and down at the several warehouses lining this part of town. In the past, this used to be the factory district during the war, but after the war ended, the warehouses used to produce food and weaponry were abandoned, and this area was thus closed off.

Shiki glanced at Neji. "Neji, can you?"

Neji nodded before his right hand glowed blue once more, and he cast the time barrier, and time started flowing backwards before coming to a stop. Out of nowhere, a dark blue van – the same one that they had seen earlier – screeched to a stop outside the warehouse three warehouses down from where they were currently standing, and Amachi stepped out of the van, entering the warehouse. The three men with him each followed him, an unconscious child under one arm each.

Neji let the time barrier fell, and the three exchanged looks.

Shiki clenched her hands into fists, and even though Neji would never admit it, even he felt angry at what Orochimaru had ordered on those three. Shiki looked at her two friends. "Let's go," she said before leading the way towards the warehouse that Orochimaru had claimed as his base.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the pitch black sky for a moment before fading.

The rain was getting heavier by the minute as the pitter-patter of the sounds of the raindrops on the rooftop and the windows of the boathouse could attest to that. Hinata and Neji were currently in one of the four bedrooms of the boathouse, tending to the injuries of the three that they had broken out of the warehouse aka Orochimaru's lab less than two hours ago.

It was surprisingly easy.

Shiki was right; there were only two guards standing guard which was easily taken out by a punch to the gut by one (Neji), and a quick karate chop to the neck by another (Shiki). They had found the three whom they were looking for strapped to operating tables in the lab, and had quickly freed them before Neji, Shiki and Hinata had carried them on their backs all the way to their boathouse.

Shiki had then sent off a message by falcon mail by the falcon that Neji and Hinata always see hanging around Shiki even from the first time that they've met her, muttering something about contacting her godfather.

After that, the three then tended to the injuries that the three whom they had rescued had sustained. Shiki had said that they weren't really injured…in the physical sense, that is. And for the life of them, Neji and Hinata couldn't figure out what Shiki had meant…until now.

Neji and Hinata watched in horror as sand started forming out of nowhere before covering half of that Gaara kid's body, and he gave out an inhumane howl whilst still unconscious, the sand slowly giving his body a monster's appearance, and the eye on the deformed side of his body opened, and Neji's heart nearly stopped as he saw a golden star-shaped eye as the iris.

"Neji!"

Neji turned his head towards his cousin only to see what she is looking at in horror. The girl, Temari, she was seemingly floating in mid-air, an inch above the bed, winds were whirling around her, causing cuts into her body, tearing apart the bandages that Hinata had applied onto her before Neji quickly cast a defensive barrier around her body to prevent Temari from hurting herself, though he knew that the barrier won't hold for long.

The brunette boy – Kankuro – sand was slowly starting to gather around his left arm, slowly hardening before it took on the form of a gauntlet.

Throughout these transformations, Hinata and Neji were watching in horror. Just what did Orochimaru did to them for that matter?! What are they going to do to save them?! What is going on here?!

The door to the room which they were in swung opened just then, and Hinata and Neji saw Shiki, looking on grimly at the three.

"Shiki, they—"

"I know," interrupted Shiki, not taking her eyes off Gaara, Temari and Kankuro. "I was worried that this might happen." She turned towards Neji. "…Neji. I want you to freeze time temporarily with one of your time barriers. Can you do it?"

Neji nodded. "No problem. And I see that you knew what is going on."

Shiki nodded. "I'll explain later. Freezing time can only give them enough time for their nin-abilities to kick in and start healing themselves whilst I try to reverse the mutation process." Shiki walked over to Temari, ignoring the cuts on her hands as she moved Temari to the bed next to Gaara. "Hinata, help me move Kankuro to the bed next to Gaara!"

"Hai!"

Hinata and Neji then watched as Shiki formed a single hand sign – her left hand had the palm turned upwards and her right hand had the base of her wrist resting atop her left palm, her middle and index fingers pointing upwards, the rest of her fingers closed. A red runic circle formed beneath Shiki's feet before the runic circle expanded, slowly forming on the beds that the three were lying on, and a faint red glow covered them.

"_Rückwärtszähler. (Reversing Flow)" _Shiki spoke in the German tongue, and the glow around the bodies of the three brightened.

"W-What is going on?" asked Hinata, one hand shielding the glare of the glow.

"Mutation Process," said Shiki, her eyes closed, and her hands still in the same sign that she used to form the runic circle. Even now, as they watched, Hinata and Neji could see that whatever is happening to the three were slowly dying now. "It's a taboo experiment done on them…and one of the worse things that can happen to a nin-user."

"Mutation…Process…?" echoed Neji. "What is that?"

"Like what it sounds like. The mutation of a nin-user's abilities," said Shiki before the sand on Gaara and Kankuro's bodies fell and vanished and the wind around Temari's body died away, and the glow faded. Shiki opened her eyes and the runic circle vanished, panting slightly. "Looks like they'll be alright. We barely made it in time to reverse the process."

"What is that?" asked Hinata.

Shiki sighed. "From what it looks like, Orochimaru had been working on the mutation of the abilities of the nin-users. In other words, he's forcibly trying to strengthen the abilities of the nin-users."

Neji frowned. "Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"Bad," said Shiki with a sigh. "The abilities of nin-users were innate abilities…in-born abilities, in other words, we were born with it. We have to learn how to control our abilities as time goes by. And when our bodies are strong enough, our abilities grow stronger. However, if our abilities are _forced _to grow stronger, it can and _will _result in mutation…like what happened to them." Shiki glanced at the sleeping forms of the three. "But if a normal human was experimented on and _given_ nin-abilities…I don't even want to imagine what will happen to them. There is a nine out of ten chance that it will fail and backfire drastically. In the worst case scenario, they will die. And if not, they won't even look human."

Shiki sighed, glancing at Gaara, Temari and Kankuro.

"The same thing happened to me once a long time ago…even before I met you guys," said Shiki, much to Hinata and Neji's horror. "This stays in this room. I don't want anyone else knowing, is that clear?" Hinata and Neji nodded dumbly. "Orochimaru was the one who did that mutation process to me. But it backfired…miserably. I have runic abilities. And runic abilities are the one thing that can reverse the results of a mutation process. But it can't always work. If the mutation is too far gone, not even runic abilities can reverse the process."

"That's horrible…" whispered Hinata, both hands covering her mouth. "How can anyone do that…?"

"That is why mutation process is one of the worse things that can happen to a nin-user," said Shiki grimly, glancing at Hinata and Neji. "If by some sheer miracle, a nin-user manages to survive the mutation process, even then, they're only delaying the inevitable. The mutation will destroy their body from the inside-out. The increasing of the nin-user's abilities forcibly will place a huge burden on their bodies, and in the end…there are only three things that can happen to them."

"And…what are they?" asked Neji carefully.

"The first…is death," said Shiki grimly. "The second…they will turn mad. And the last one…is the worst thing that can happen to a nin-user. They'll turn into abominations. Not human, yet not demon either. Nothing more than monsters. They'll lose their senses and any of their personality. To that end, even death is better than what will happen to them."

"No…way…" whispered Neji, his eyes wide with horror at what might happen to the three that they had just rescued if they had been any later. He can now see why Shiki didn't want to waste any time rescuing them.

Shiki sighed. "That's exactly why the ANBU issued a kill on sight order for Orochimaru," she said. "Because what he did is beyond human reasoning! And anyone who associates themselves with Orochimaru will be executed without a trial, no questions asked. This is the will of the High Council and the ANBU Chief themselves."

"Uurgh…"

A slight groan caused the three to turn around and saw Gaara starting to stir, and Temari and Kankuro followed soon after.

"Are you alright?" asked Hinata with concern, as the three sat up, one hand to their heads, and looking around, blinking in confusion.

"Where is this? Who are you?" asked Gaara in a half croaked voice.

"Calm down. Do you remember what had happened?"

Gaara frowned. "I remember…that Amachi bastard… He took us to some lab…experimenting on us… What happened then?"

"We managed to get you out of that lab," said Shiki. "And barely made it in time to reverse the mutation process done on you." The faces of the three paled in terror. "Don't worry. You're all right."

"Thank you…" said Temari. "Eto…"

"Shiki," said Shiki. "Namikaze Shiki."

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata," said Hinata.

"Hyuuga Neji."

"Nice to meet you," said Temari with a slight bow. "I'm Temari. These two are my brothers. The redhead is Gaara, and the other is Kankuro."

"Nice to meet you," said Shiki. She then sighed and looked at the three. "What are you three going to do now? No doubt that Orochimaru will be on the hunt for you."

"We don't know…"

Shiki exchanged glances with Hinata and Neji who nodded, and she sighed inwardly. No matter what she said otherwise, Fate seems to love playing with her, and sent a few others her way as her friends.

"Would you like to come along?"


	3. The Prophecy

Sorry for the late update, people! I have a case of writer's block for this story, and not to mention the recent economical downturn, and I'm literally spending every single day just looking for jobs. And now, after an entire month, I'm _still _trying to find a job.

**Disclaimer: **Parts of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Three: The Prophecy**

It had been nearly two years since then.

Two years since nearly the entire street gang Blade had perished in the city of Hagako. Two years since Namikaze Shiki had met Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Neji. Two years since they have rescued the Sabaku siblings from the hands of Orochimaru. Two years since then…

And now, two years after everything has happened can find the six of them at the town of Nakawa, a small seaport town located near the sea. For the past week or so, their boathouse – _Phoenix _– was docked at the sea docks.

The first month after they have rescued Gaara, Temari and Kankuro, the three siblings have spent that entire month recuperating from their ordeal, with Shiki's godfather, Jiraiya, paying the three a visit. Fortunately for the three siblings, Shiki had managed to reverse the mutation process done to them just in time. Needless to say, Orochimaru was furious when his three 'samples' have escaped, but by the time that Orochimaru had found out about their escape, the six of them have long gone from the town of Hikawa.

In order to feed themselves and to get themselves by, the six of them have become mercenaries for hire, and Shiki had plenty of contacts all over the place and can easily get themselves jobs or even find jobs for others. This was how the six of them have been supporting themselves so far, and they never stayed long at one place in fear that Orochimaru or the ANBU may find them – for even though Shiki may only be defending herself and her friends back then, she still _did _commit murder in the end.

The group may only be ten years old right now, with a few of them being only a year or two older, but they were still nin-users, and once fact of this got out, people will be flocking to them like bees to honey. Hence the reason why the six of them usually kept quiet about their abilities, and they were all more than capable of defending themselves even without their nin-abilities…part of what they each had to go through growing up.

Gaara, Temari and Kankuro have also told them a little of their history, though Shiki was the only one who knew the whole story – since like the other two, they found Shiki easy to talk to despite her 'lone wolf' side, and somehow, something about her attracted people to her.

Both the Sand siblings' parents have died when they were small children because of the civil war, and they went on the streets then…doing what most children their age do when they were made orphans all of a sudden – becoming street punks. The three siblings were A-class nin-users like Shiki, Neji and Hinata, though like the three of them, they were bound to grow stronger in terms of powers once they're older.

It was getting late that night and rain was falling quite heavily, the raindrops pattering down onto the rooftop and the windows of the boathouse. The radio was put on, and music filled the entire boathouse, being switched to a radio channel which plays different kinds of music, something which all of them liked.

Hinata and Temari were huddled together on a couch on the first storey of the boathouse, discussing about nothing in particular. Neji and Gaara were having a game of shougi, being seated at the table in the 'kitchen area' of the boathouse. Kankuro was reading a book that he had with him whilst Shiki was seated on the windowsill, reading a novel, before she distinctly heard the sounds of bells, and her head jerked up, her eyes wide.

She knew the signs.

For some reason, Shiki can always detect the presence of other nin-users – unlike all the other nin-users that she'd met in the past. The sounds of the bells that only she alone could hear are the signs of a nin-user being in the vicinity. The louder the sound of the bells, the more powerful that they are.

And the sound of the bells that she'd heard a moment earlier was quite loud and clear – nearly the exact same sound that she'd heard the time when she'd met Hinata and Neji in Hagako. Shiki looked out of the window that she's currently sitting by, but she could hardly make anything out through the heavy downpour in the dark streets of Nakawa. Not one of them were willing to go out in this terrible weather as they have no wish to get blown off by the strong wind.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Everyone looked up and turned their heads around towards the direction of the door. Kankuro closed his book with a light clap, eyeing the door with a frown. No one knew that they were in Nakawa, not even Jiraiya, Shiki's godfather, who was the only one in the entire world who knew that they were together. Even Shiki's remaining surviving ex-gang members of Blade didn't know where she is, only that she's still alive.

"Who could it be?" asked Temari with a frown before Neji turned off the radio, and Shiki got down onto the ground and walked towards the door, opening it a slight crack with the chain latched to the inside of the boathouse still, quite wary of the visitor that they're going to get – the lot of them are nin-users, after all, and the lot of them were killers in a way.

"Who is it?" asked Shiki suspiciously.

A voice came through the door, and everyone in the boathouse heard what the owner of said voice said clearly.

"Zabuza."

Shiki's eyes widened, and the door came flying outwards without any warning, nearly smashing her visitor's face in. Thankfully, said visitor had quite good reflexes and stepped out of the way just in time.

Everyone could now see that their visitors consisted of a tall man with black hair and bandages concealing the lower part of his face, wearing a sleeveless black shirt and blue-gray pants with black boots with a zanpato on his back beneath a black raincoat with the hood currently down. Beside him was a dark haired girl around Shiki's age, wearing a dark raincoat, holding onto Zabuza's hand, staring at Shiki with wide eyes.

"Hey Shiki."

Shiki stared at Zabuza and to the girl by his side, then to Zabuza and back to the girl again. The bell chimes sounded once more quite loudly – as if it is ringing next to Shiki's ears, and she knew for sure that the girl is the nin-user whose presence she had detected some time ago.

"Zabuza?" muttered Shiki, staring at Zabuza, either not noticing or ignoring the rest of her friends who have came up from behind her, staring at the two curiously. "How did you find me? And what are you doing here?"

"I need a favour, Shiki." Zabuza stated, and Shiki frowned before opening the door fully and stepping aside to allow them in.

"Doesn't sound like something that we ought to speak about out here," said Shiki. "Come in." Zabuza and the girl with him entered the boathouse, and raised an invisible eyebrow at seeing the others inside. "These are my friends. Gaara. Temari. Kankuro. Neji. Hinata." She gestured towards each of them as she spoke, and Zabuza nodded. "This is Momochi Zabuza and…" Shiki trailed off, looking at the girl with Zabuza.

"Haku. Shisei Haku."

Hinata stepped forward, taking Haku by the hand. "I'll take her to get a fresh change of clothes and a warm bath," said Hinata before Temari stepped forwards as well, and the two girls led Haku up the stairs to the shower.

"We'll be in our room, Shiki," said Neji, getting the unspoken message that Shiki had sent across before gathering up the shougi set from the table before heading up the stairs with Gaara and Kankuro close behind him.

Shiki and Zabuza waited until they heard the sounds of their individual room doors closing before Shiki turned towards Zabuza and gestured him towards the direction of the 'kitchen area' of the boathouse and threw him a towel to towel dry his hair.

"So, what is it?" asked Shiki, brewing a hot cup of coffee before giving it to Zabuza to warm himself up. "And who is that girl? I never knew that you had a kid."

Zabuza nearly choked on his coffee when he heard this and looked at Shiki who was sitting on the kitchen counter. "No, she's not my kid," said Zabuza. "She's my friend's daughter – a former member of the Mist."

The Mist is an underground secret mercenary organisation for hire which members consisted of the best and strongest sword fighters in the world. But because that mercenary group is so secretive, very few knew of their existence, but their influence in the underground is equivalent to that of the ANBU.

Shiki glanced at Zabuza. "What happened?" she asked. "And how did you find me?"

"I utilised the usage of the Mist's spy network," said Zabuza with a shrug. "It wasn't easy to find you, I can tell you." He then sighed, before beginning to tell his story. "Haku…she's…Ayumi's daughter. A former member of the Mist. Ayumi left the Mist a few years in order to get married to her boyfriend who didn't know that she's a member of the Mist. But then, about six months ago, Ayumi wrote a frantic letter to me. She kept in constant contact with me even though she had left the Mist, and told me of her daughter's birth. A few months ago, Ayumi wrote to me, telling me that her daughter is a nin-user with remarkably powerful abilities over ice and water. Ayumi has no objections against nin-users, seeing as how we often worked together with nin-users back during our time as mercenaries during the war. Her husband, on the other hand, is not. I knew what would happen if her husband ever found out, and immediately rushed over to assist Ayumi. But I was too late."

"What happened?"

"Her husband somehow found out about Haku's abilities and formed _a_ _mob_ in the village that they're staying in to kill _his_ _own daughter!" _Zabuza banged one fist down on the table in fury. Shiki can understand why as well, seeing as how Zabuza and Ayumi were best friends and childhood sweethearts. She's met Ayumi once as well when she was about four, and liked her a lot. In fact, she knew that Zabuza had always liked Ayumi in the romantic sense, but unfortunately, Fate decided otherwise. "Ayumi tried her best to protect her daughter, but she failed. I arrived just in time to see Haku's ice abilities kicked in to protect herself, and she killed every single person that had came after her and her mother…killing her own parents in the process."

Shiki sighed. "I see…" she said. "I know what you intend to do by bringing her here. I'll take her in, Zabuza. And is the Mist still around, even after the war?"

Zabuza nodded. "Not all of us, actually. Kisame left too after the war. Said something about having enough to deal with the killings that we have to handle on an everyday basis during the war. I'm still with the Mist, but of the original seven that made up the Mist, only five of us are left."

"I see…"

"I ran into Sumaru and the other two a while back," said Zabuza, and Shiki tensed up a little. "I saw…the graves at Hagako as well. Sumaru told me everything that has happened. Is that the reason why you left?" He gave a jerk of his head towards the mark of a small white nine-tailed fox with red eyes and red tips to it's tails – part of the mark just visible above Shiki's right breast – partially covered by the shirt that she's wearing.

Shiki closed shut her jacket around her body, but knew that Zabuza had already seen the mark. The Mist is the one organisation that Shiki knew about that knew the most about the Bijuu Nine – the gods of creation – and the prophecy that they have left behind.

"…something like that."

"It has fully awakened then?" Zabuza stated more than asked, and Shiki nodded.

"It's only a matter of time before they start moving and start moving in on the cursed children," said Shiki. She then gave a bitter laugh. "The cursed children…the descendants and chosen ones of the gods of creation."

"And regarding 'that' which you have asked me and the others to check up on…" said Zabuza, causing Shiki to look at him. "The snake and the hawk are both starting to make their move. Even if you can find and seal all nine shrines away, it'll still only delay the inevitable."

"I know that," said Shiki with a sigh. "But it's better than doing nothing at all. Finding the shrines is easier said than done, though. We don't even have so much as a single clue. Where are we supposed to start looking?"

Zabuza looked serious at this point in time. "Shiki, about that…I think that it's best if you tell your friends about this," he said. "They're your friends, and they deserve to know about what you're trying to do. And I know for sure that they won't allow you to do it by yourself. Myself and the Mist are the same way when we're kids."

"I know…"

Zabuza then gave a sigh and got up. "The Mist will give you a hand. We owed you lots, Shiki." He sighed. "But be careful. I should also probably make a move soon," he said. "I have to get back to base."

"Why don't you stay for the night?" asked Shiki. "It's dangerous to go anywhere in this heavy downpour."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," said Zabuza before tugging on his raincoat, and turning his head to look at Shiki. "Take care of Haku for me."

Shiki nodded. "May the Goddess watch your steps, Zabuza."

"And may she guide you in the shadows," said Zabuza before he left.

Shiki then sighed as the door shut before turning towards some random direction where she distinctly saw a sand eye hidden somewhere behind the curtains of the window even before Zabuza had started on his story. "Gaara, get the others down here now," she said. "I need to tell you guys something."

**

* * *

**In a few moments, Gaara and the others were down on the first storey of the boathouse, along with one Shisei Haku, all of them looking quite sheepish at the fact that Shiki knew all along that they've been eavesdropping, not that they think that they can eavesdrop on Shiki and Zabuza's conversation without either one of the two knowing.

Haku knew that Zabuza had left her with Shiki for her own protection, but it didn't make things any easier for her. The only thing that comfort her is the fact that all of them here were nin-users like her, and that Zabuza had told her during their journey here that she can trust Shiki. And her own mother had told her countless times in the past that she can trust Zabuza and his judgement as well.

Now, half-an-hour later, all of them were staring at Shiki with wide eyes and opened mouths at the story that she'd just told them which almost seemed like a story out of some book. The only thing that told them that Shiki is completely serious and that that's the whole truth is the fact that all of them knew that Shiki won't lie about this sort of thing, and that she's got a deadly serious expression on her face.

Gaara rubbed his temples, feeling an oncoming headache. "Let me get this straight," he said. "Orochimaru and this Danzo guy – the leaders of the Oto (Sound) and Ne (Root) organisations respectively have been trying to gain the power of the nine gods of creation under their control, but have been unsuccessful so far, and that you've been trying to find a way to stop them as well?"

Shiki nodded. "Something like that," she said. "Originally, the nin-users are people with powers granted to them by the Bijuu Nine themselves – the gods of creation. But as time went by, the people forgot about this fact and the sacrifice that they've made for us, and started treating the nin-users like freaks and monsters." She sighed. "And the prophecy that they've left behind…" She glanced at Kankuro. "Kankuro, do you know of Loveless?"

Kankuro blinked, hearing Shiki speak of this popular play which book that he's never seen Shiki without once. "Loveless? That tragic play? Yeah, I know of it. But what about it?"

"Do you know that Loveless is originally a prophecy?" asked Shiki solemnly, and everyone blinked. Haku frowned a little. Her mother had often told her the stories regarding the nine gods of creation as bedtime stories, and the Loveless play had came up once, and her mother had said the same thing that Shiki did. "It was written over two thousand years ago by the gods of creation themselves – the Bijuu Nine."

"The duel between the friends," said Kankuro slowly, his memory kicking in regarding one of the last parts of Loveless which he'd read. Unlike Shiki, he's not a Loveless maniac, and had only ever read Loveless once, but didn't like it much because of it's tragic story. He looked up at Shiki. "One flies away, one dies, and the last becomes a hero. But in one of the last parts of the story, the two survivors fought. The two friends duelled."

Shiki nodded, and the rest of her friends looked from her to Kankuro. "And how did the duel ends?" asked Neji slowly, nearly afraid to know the answer.

Shiki gave a light shrug. "No one knows," she said. "The last act is still missing. But there are several variations of the ending, since Acts Four and Five of Loveless went something like this:"

_My friend, the fates are cruel  
__There are no dreams, no honour remains  
__The arrow has left the bow of the goddess_

_My soul, corrupted by vengeance  
__Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey  
__In my own salvation  
__And your eternal slumber_

_Legend shall speak  
__Of sacrifice at world's end  
__The winds sail over the water's surface  
__Quietly, but surely_

_Even if the morrow is barren of promises  
__Nothing shall forestall my return  
__To become the dew that quenches the land  
__To spare the sands, the seas, the skies  
__I offer thee, this silent sacrifice_

Everyone stared at Shiki as she ended the poem, and Kankuro finally broke the silence. "Damn Shiki, did you swallow the book whole or something?"

Shiki developed a tick on her forehead, and everyone laughed, hence breaking the sudden tense atmosphere. Hinata fell serious, and looked at Shiki with a solemn expression. "Then the experiments performed on Gaara, Temari and Kankuro by Orochimaru nearly two years ago…" She trailed off. "Could it be…?"

"Yeah," said Shiki with a nod. "S-class nin-users are extremely rare. The highest class that most nin-users can reach are A-class. There is a reason for it." She looked at her friends. "S-class nin-users refer to the nin-users who were the chosen ones by the nine gods of creation – the Bijuu Nine. They're the direct descendants of the gods of creation themselves. The reason why Orochimaru went after Gaara, Temari and Kankuro is because the damned snake knew that they're the direct descendants of the Ichibi no Shukaku – the god of wind and sand of the Bijuu Nine, and their abilities proved it. Those direct descendants of the Bijuu Nine were called 'Guardians', and they are given stronger nin abilities compared to all the other nin-users. That's probably why Orochimaru targeted them. Haku, Hinata and Neji…you're the direct descendants of the Nanabi no Orochi – the water god." Shiki sighed. "Your powers…haven't fully awakened yet. That's why their Mark hasn't appeared on you yet."

"And you?" asked Temari carefully. "What…is your power?"

There was a long silence before Shiki answered. "The greatest of the nine gods. The Creator himself, and the leader of the Bijuu Nine." She pulled down part of her shirt to show the mark that she had just above her right breast. "The Kyuubi no Youko – the master of the mind and manipulator of the five elements. But it's precisely because the powers that were granted to me were _too_ powerful that I can hardly control it. I learned how to when I was around six or seven. That's when Blade was formed, and I…came to Hagako."

"And Orochimaru and this Danzo…" said Haku slowly. "What do they plan to do?"

"The Demon God," said Shiki. "They plan to revive him by using the power of the nine gods of creation. While the Bijuu Nine is the 'ying' of this world, the Demon God is the 'yang'. His power is equivalent to the power of all nine of the Bijuu Nine. That's how powerful he is. The Demon God…the Fallen One. He was spoken about only in legends, but he's very much real. Even if I can stop Orochimaru and Danzo from executing their plan, I can only delay the inevitable. It's in the prophecy that the Bijuu Nine have left behind. 'The Demon God will return one day.' Even if I can come up with a way to stop the Fallen One from reviving, it can only delay the inevitable."

"What is that way?" asked Gaara carefully. "The way to stop the Demon God temporarily."

"Find all nine of the Bijuu Nine shrines and seal it away," said Shiki. "Each shrine is created by the gods themselves when they were still around. Hence, it's protected by all kinds of wards and barrier magic so that most humans can't pinpoint it's exact location. But they'll allow the chosen ones of the Bijuu Nine entry. The only problem is finding it. Those are the shrines of the Bijuu Nine, after all. Finding it can't be easy."

"We'll give it a try," said Neji, speaking up. "Nothing is impossible as long as we're together. But first…"

Shiki nodded. "Yeah. We have to find the other descendants of the Bijuu Nine. We have the Kyuubi, the Nanabi, and the Ichibi." She ticked the points off on her fingers. "Even if we can't find all, it's enough if we can find at least five of the descendants of the Bijuu Nine."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_That Night:_

It was nearly three in the morning when the rain finally stopped and Shiki decided to take a walk around the beach of Nakawa. The stars were out and shining like diamonds in the velvety black sky. It was a clear night without any clouds, especially since it was so soon after a heavy downpour.

Looking at the sea and listening to the sounds of the waves always calms Shiki down, probably part of the reason why she'd decided to build a boathouse and go travelling.

And it was when Shiki was standing at the beach, looking at the waves, when she heard a sweet melodious voice sounding through the air.

_Wasure taku nai koto nara  
__Oboeyou to shinaku temo  
__Wasureru koto nante nai  
__Sou shizuka ni kanjiru_

_Are wa aru samui hi de  
__Tsuyoi ame no naka  
__Boku wa tada kimi dake o  
__Machi tsuzukete ita_

_Moshi ima ga boku no owari  
__Datta to shitara sore demo  
__Kamawanai to omoeru hodo  
__Nani mo kowaku nakatta_

_Shiawase ni warai au  
__Hitobito ga boku no  
__Sugu soba o nando demo  
__Toori nuketa kedo_

_Hitori kiri kasa mo naku  
__Tachi tsukusu boku wa  
__Dare yori mo odayaka ni  
__Hohoende ita_

_Kogoeru te o kazashite  
__Arawareta kimi o mite  
__Nakidashi sou ni natta no wa  
__Kanashimi no sei ja nai_

_Bokutachi o isshun no  
__Hikari ga terashita  
__Korekara no yuku michi o  
__Iwau kano you ni_

_-Rainy Night by Ayumi Hamasaki_

Shiki followed the sound of the voice only to led her straight to a certain raven haired ice maiden seated by the cliff of the sea, her knees drawn up to her chest, singing the song that Shiki had just heard a moment earlier.

"That's a nice song," commented Shiki, and Haku gave a start and turned around, startled, as she didn't expect any audience to her singing. "Don't stop. That's a nice song."

"Yeah. It's my favourite song," said Haku softly as Shiki sat down beside her, both girls looking at the waves. "My mother taught me several songs, and this song was my favourite as we used to sing this together. I loved music ever since I was a kid."

"Me too," said Shiki before Haku gave a start and stared at Shiki before the girl in question drew out a small silver flute with the ends in blue, and a dark blue tassel braided rope hanging from the end. "My old gang members knew this too, and about a year before they were killed in the tragedy at Hagako, they made this for me. Or at least, Riku did, and the others scrimped in whatever money that they had to get the materials that Riku needed to make the flute. This is my last memory of them."

"I'm sorry," said Haku sincerely, and Shiki shook her head, placing the flute back into her pouch.

"Don't be," said Shiki. "It wasn't your fault." She then got up and dusted off her clothes. "Come on, let's go back."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A week later found the seven of them in the city of Hakawa, a place with the same reputation as that of Hagako. It was raining lightly when the boathouse drew into the ports, and the skies were dark with dark clouds.

Getting off the boathouse after locking it up and securing it properly to the docks, the seven of them decided to do the usual – scouting, getting food supplies, and maybe any job offers for them to do. Temari, Haku and Haku paired up together whilst Neji went with Kankuro and Gaara went with Shiki.

And it was whilst Shiki and Gaara were both heading towards the western side of the city when the sounds of bells started going off in Shiki's head, and she froze in her step. She wasn't the only one. Gaara had frozen in his steps as well as there was an unmistakably strong surge of nin-power and energy in the air – something which no one but a high A-class, maybe S-class nin-user was capable of doing.

A couple of teenagers several years older than them ran past them just then, majority of them screaming something about 'Lightning Hands', and covered from head to toe in lightning burns. Shiki and Gaara exchanged looks.

They have heard about the Lightning Hands of Hakawa City.

The Lightning Hands is the leader of the most feared gang in Hakawa City with both gang and leader having a reputation like that of Shiki, who was known as the Tenkou (Queen of Heaven) back then, and Blade in Hagako City.

Gaara and Shiki both then caught the sound of lightning cackling, and lightning started flashing across the skies before both exchanged looks and walked towards the initial direction where they knew the person emitting the energy was at. In fact, Shiki was surprised that ANBU hasn't came here yet when there was such a powerful nin-user in Hakawa. Then again, they were probably fried alive by this particular nin-user if they _did _come here.

Soon, Gaara and Shiki came upon the sight of a creamy blonde haired girl who seemed a year or two older than them standing in the middle of the street, dead bodies lying all around her, and lightning and electricity was cackling around her.

Shiki frowned. She knew instantly who this girl is – one of the Guardians – the descendants of one of Bijuu Nine.

'_So that's the Lightning Hands, huh?'_

The girl looked at Shiki and Gaara both, and Shiki frowned inwardly at the cold and dead look in her eyes. It reminded Shiki herself of what she was like back during her days in Blade before she'd met Hinata and Neji, then followed by Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and Haku. However unwilling she might be, those six still managed to get through to her icy heart and thaw out her icy interior.

"Who are you? Are you enemies of BOLT?" asked the girl, and from within the shadows, a teen older than her stepped up next to her, casting Gaara and Shiki wary looks. "If you are indeed enemies, then I'll advise you to leave…" Lightning started cackling around her. "…if you don't want to die."

The guy with the girl threw a blade at Gaara and Shiki both with alarmingly fast speed and accuracy, but not fast enough as the two managed to see it coming, and Gaara quickly covered both himself and Shiki with sand.

The eyes of the girl and the guy widened in slight shock and horror, and the girl allowed her lightning to die. "A nin-user?" she muttered. "Are both of you nin-users as well?"

"Yes," said Shiki with a nod. "We'd just gotten into town, and we thought that we detected the energy and power of a remarkably powerful nin-user and decided to investigate." That wasn't the complete truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

"I see…" said the girl slowly. "In that case, it'll be rude of me to not give my name. I'm Yugito. Nii Yugito. And this is my friend. Kirabi."

"Gaara."

"…Shiki."

"Gaara-san and Shiki-san…it might sound rude of me, but what are both of you doing here?"

"Taking a vacation."

The looks on Yugito and Kirabi's faces told them that they didn't believe a single word of it.

"Yugito." Yugito turned towards Shiki who had spoken. "Your power…you can't control it, can you? The lightning marks…" She gestured towards the lightning burns on several parts of the streets and the buildings. "It shows that you can't control your power."

"I don't need you to tell me that!" snapped Yugito. "My power…it scares me sometimes. I not only can control the lightning. There are two other powers that I can use, but I'd rather not tell you since I can't be sure if you're friend or foe just yet. But when I started using my powers…if I give in to it too much, I'll black out, and when I 'wake up', I'll find people telling me things that I'd supposedly done when I'm out cold."

Shiki knew instantly what Yugito was going through since she'd gone through the exact same thing as well before she managed to get her powers under control. _Total Submission. _It's a case that happens when a nin-user is unable to control their powers effectively, and their subconscious took over their body temporarily.

"Then Yugito." Yugito looked at Shiki and raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to come along? Are you not lonely? Even with your gang, you're totally alone, aren't you? No one understands you and believed you when you said that you never meant to harm anyone. They're afraid of you, aren't you?"

"I…can't leave," said Yugito hesitantly. "And they need me here."

"I see. I'll be around if you ever change your mind."

With that, Shiki turned around and started to walk back to the boathouse with Gaara by her side.

"You really want her to join us?" asked Gaara hesitantly once Yugito and Kirabi were out of earshot. "I mean, that Yugito girl isn't like any of us. She wasn't abandoned or in dire situations like the rest of us. She has a life here, though I admit that it's not much of a life."

"I'm just extending an invitation to her," said Shiki. "She'll join us soon enough if what she saw earlier is true."

Gaara stared at her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I can read minds, Gaara, you know that," said Shiki, and Gaara nodded. Mind reading is a power that Shiki closed off most of the time, and she only used it when she has no other choice. "Yugito's power isn't only lightning. She has two other powers – kind of like myself in a way. Her god is a special one – one of the three gods of the universe – Nature, Creation and Death. Yugito…has the power to see the future. The moment that she saw us, she saw a horrible future awaiting her own gang. That's why she turned down the offer to join us and why she seemed so apprehensive and uncomfortable earlier."

"What did she see?"

Shiki's answer nearly gave Gaara cardiac arrest.

"Death and total elimination."

**

* * *

**_One week later:_

"Souls?"

"Yeah," said Shiki, nodding, pulling on her raincoat in the boathouse, with the rest of her group sitting on the couches on the first storey of the boathouse, with Hinata trying to ease the major migraine that she's currently suffering from. "Hinata has the power of healing. Likewise, she can sense spirits, and is empathic, in a way, which means that she has the ability to sense emotions. A while back, she sensed a great number of spirits suddenly departing, and the strong negative feelings of a particular powerful nin-user. Fear, anger, revenge…lots of them. And there's only one known nin-user that we knew of in Hakawa right now."

Gaara answered that unasked question. "Yugito."

**

* * *

**By the time that Shiki arrived on the scene whilst hiding within the shadows, she saw that most of Yugito's gang members were lying dead on the ground, their blood splattered on the ground, with the raindrops pelting down on them.

Shiki shut her eyes to shut out this image as it was almost the exact same thing that had happened to her back then in Hagako when Blade was attacked. There was a scream just then, and Shiki looked up to see the Kirabi guy take a knife in the gut for Yugito who was cradling one of the bodies of her gang members, and the attacker had on a uniform that was extremely familiar to Shiki…

Shiki's face contorted in rage. _'Ne…'_

"…Yugito…! Run…!"

"Kirabi!"

Yugito turned rage-filled eyes towards the only survivor of the attackers since majority of them lay dead on the ground, with lightning burns all over their bodies, and Shiki knew instantly what had just transpired to them.

"Just what did they ever do to you?! I'm the one that you wanted, right?! You said that you wouldn't harm them!"

The attacker smirked. "You took too long to make up your mind," he said. "Thus, our leaders decided to give you some incentive to…hurry up."

Yugito's face contorted in rage. "Damn you…!" Lightning started cackling in her hand, only for her to stop when she saw that Shiki had the guy down on his knees, one hand around the back of his neck, ready to break it in a moment's notice, faster than the eye could see.

"Don't move," said Shiki calmly.

"Don't interfere!" Yugito nearly screamed. "He's _my _prey!"

"You're not the only one that his master has done this to," said Shiki calmly, understanding Yugito's rage right this instant. "His master gave the orders to have my entire gang killed as well…two years ago." Yugito's face changed to one that of shock, and Shiki turned her attention towards the guy that she had in her grasp. "Is Ne working with Oto and Orochimaru?" She pulled down the collar of the coat only to see a black tattoo on his neck – part of the mark that branded Orochimaru's people – only that this mark is a fairly unusual mark with both Ne and Oto's marks combined as one.

"Like hell I will tell you!" The man spat.

"I see…" said Shiki calmly before turning towards Yugito. "Would you like to do the honours?"

"With pleasure," said Yugito coldly before a fairly ominous aura started surrounding her, and Shiki frowned inwardly. "You might want to step back. I can't control this very well yet."

Shiki nodded before stepping back, and she watched as the same ominous aura started surrounding the dead bodies on the ground before the bodies rise up on their own accord. Yugito snarled at the frightened man who looked as if he's ready to shit his own pants.

"You killed my people, so I think that it's wise if both my people and your own comrades killed you with their own hands!" she snarled. "I'm not known as the 'Death Animator' among my own gang for nothing!"

Shiki watched as the man was literally torn apart from limb by limb by the bodies that Yugito had controlled by using her powers. _'I see… So this is the power of the chosen one of the Nibi no Nekomata…the Goddess of the Underworld and the Dead.'_

The bodies that Yugito was controlling fell to the ground then, and Shiki saw the messed up remains of what was once a human male. She turned her attention towards Yugito only to see the blonde on her knees in the middle of the blood-soaked and rain-filled streets, cradling Kirabi's body in her arms.

"…Kirabi…" Yugito nearly sobbed. "…I'm so sorry…! I'm so sorry!"

"…it…wasn't your fault…" Kirabi managed to choke out, knowing extremely well that he's dying. "Live…on…Yugito." And his eyes closed, never to open again.

"_Kirabi!"_

Lightning flashed across the sky.

A long while later, Yugito felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Shiki standing behind her, her hand on her shoulder, an understanding look on her face.

"I'll help you bury them at the local graveyard," she said. "If you would like my help, that is."

Yugito bowed her head slightly. "…thank you."

"…and…" Yugito looked up at Shiki only to see that the girl had an outstretched hand to her. "Would you like to come along?"

* * *

_A/N: Phew! This chapter is finally done! And I hope that this gives you more insight into Yugito's past than the previous version of Blood Red Moon. Anyway, to anyone who is wondering about Itachi, don't worry, he'll make an appearance soon, but not just yet._

_**Preview for next chapter:**_

"_This is your last warning… Leave and don't return…if you don't want to die."_

"_The ANBU in the past…they weren't always like this."_

"_I hate those people…those who look down on others."_

"_Aburame Shiri was the elder brother of Aburame Shino. The ANBU killed Aburame Shiri during the war."_

"_I don't understand… That guy…is he not afraid to die?"_

"_Shiki, when you first come here…you've got the eyes of someone drenched in cold rain."_

"_Why should the nin-users suffer because of the arrogance of the humans?!"_

_I'll list the powers of the others once the other members come into the picture, and I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_


	4. A Lonesome Soul

**Disclaimer: **Parts of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Four: A Lonesome Soul**

"Itai!" Hyuuga Neji winced as Hinata bound his arm up in bandages.

"Bear with it!" His cousin scolded as she rubbed some salve onto his injured arm.

It was currently late evening and the sun was setting, with the rain pelting down onto the windows and the rooftop of the boathouse. It's been about two months ever since they have left Nakawa, and Yugito had joined up with them, and the blonde had settled in surprisingly well.

"But still…it's rather tiring," said Temari with a sigh, looking up from the couch on which she's settled on with Yugito, the rest of the group gathered around the table in the kitchen, with Shiki seated by the windowsill of the boathouse as usual. "Moving about like this. We never stayed long at any place. The longest that we stayed at any town is four months before we're on the move again."

"It's not like we can help it," said Gaara with a small sigh. "All of us are wanted by the ANBU just because we're nin-users. Granted, they've assumed that most, if not all of us are dead, but still… If we stay too long at any place…the ANBU will be after us again."

"Furthermore…" said Haku, closing the first aid box with a light clap. "There's one here in this town. The town of Hiraiko. A nin-user."

"I know," said Yugito with a sigh. "All of us have been sensing the intense aura and ki of this particular nin-user. He's powerful, alright. But no control over the ability to conceal his presence yet. All nin-users have to learn this skill, or we'll die very quickly out there."

"It's not only that," muttered Hinata, rubbing her temples together tiredly. "I've been feeling several negative emotions from this guy ever since we got here. He feels…angry."

A slight flash of lightning flashed across the sky just then, and Shiki turned towards the window.

"Something's going to happen," she muttered.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Gaara was tensed up, and beside him, Yugito was the same.

If any outsider was to walk past Maple Street of the town of Hiraiko right now, they would have found this particular scene particularly amusing if the situation wasn't so serious. In this rainy weather with the dark streets of Hiraiko, a single teen with spiky black hair and wearing a coat which covered half of his face, and wearing sunglasses was staring down four certain nin-users which goes by the names of Sabaku no Gaara, Nii Yugito, Hyuuga Neji and Namikaze Shiki.

As usual, their group had split into twos and threes to scout the town, and by some sheer miracle, Neji and Shiki who were paired together ended up running into Gaara and Yugito on Maple Street. And then, they met _him._

Shiki could have kicked herself when they met him. She had nearly forgotten about a particular boy in the town of Hiraiko who had the same reputation as herself and Yugito in the underworld of the town of Hiraiko. Only that in this boy's case, he didn't have a street gang following him, but merely went his own way.

Yugito had told her the rumours that she'd heard about this boy as well. Like Hagako and Nakawa, the town of Hiraiko is a gang-infested place as well where the lawless ran amok, and where the weak were always being bullied.

That's precisely the reason why Shiki had set up Blade in the first place back in Hagako until _that _happened. The same goes for Yugito. This boy…both Shiki and Yugito have heard about him, and so did the others for that matter.

Unlike Hagako and Nakawa, in Hiraiko, there are no gangs that protected this place, and thus, being in Hiraiko is almost like walking in a jungle full of hungry tigers. You never know what might happen to you in that town.

That is until one day about a year ago when a strange boy wearing a coat and sunglasses – behind which he hid his strangely coloured eyes – appeared. That one boy alone managed to curb most of the gangs' activities in Hiraiko in a mere week, and just the mere mention of his name is enough to strike fear and terror into the people's hearts. For even though he had done the people of Hiraiko a favour, they were afraid of him as well.

And when Gaara, Yugito, Shiki and Neji walked into Maple Street, they were instantly attacked by ravens of every kind imaginable until Neji had placed up his barrier. And now, both Gaara and Yugito were standing before Shiki, not taking their eyes off this weird kid, and Neji was ready to kill the one who had threatened the first person who had ever helped him and his cousin.

The boy stared at them for a few moments before walking away. But not before directing his words to Shiki whom he had assumed was their leader. "This is your last warning… Leave and don't return…if you don't want to die."

Shiki stared at the departing back of the boy, her 'nin-user radar' – her ability to sense the presences of other nin-users – going off in her head. She could also detect something else in the voice of the boy.

'_Eh?'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters; Leaf City:_

Meanwhile in Leaf City, the capital city of the country of Japan, within the ANBU headquarters, a meeting was taking place with the new ANBU commander – Senju Tsunade – and one of her best ANBU agents.

With the end of the war, Senju Tsunade and Sarutobi Hizuren – the ANBU Chief – were both considering creating two new teams within the ANBU to deal with any threats to Japan, and those two teams would be the elites of the ANBU.

The shark-like man currently standing before Tsunade was a former member of the Mist – an underground mercenary group which had given the ANBU some invaluable help during the civil war in Japan a few years ago. But the man had left after he had enough of the killings, trying to find his half-sister who had gone missing shortly after his mother had married his stepfather, and after said stepfather had discovered that his younger half-sister was a nin-user and had tried to kill her.

Tsunade then gave him an offer with the messenger that she had sent to recruit him into the ANBU. If he is willing to aid the ANBU with his superb skills with a sword, and not to mention that the man is a powerful water nin-user as well, she'll give him all authority and permission to search for his sister using the ANBU's resources.

And that is how one Hoshigaki Kisame joined the ANBU barely a few months ago. The only leads that he had on his younger sister's location is the fact that she was rescued by a swordsman and that she's an extremely powerful nin-user as well, with the power over water and ice.

Right now, Kisame had been called in by the ANBU commander regarding an event in the city of Hakawa a few years ago when he was still with the underground mercenary group, Mist.

"Hakawa?" Kisame frowned, and Tsunade nodded gravely.

"Do you remember the rebellion that had occurred in the city of Hakawa a few years ago?"

Kisame frowned before nodding. "Yeah, I do," he said. "I was still with Mist then. And at that time, that was the last resistance put up by the instigators of the civil war – Oto and Ne…along with the dogs of the former ANBU leaders."

Tsunade nodded. "The casualties involved then were huge, almost three hundred," she said. "And among those casualties, nearly an entire family was clean wiped out, leaving only two survivors. And it's one of those survivors which I'm concerned about."

She pushed forward a folder on her desk towards Kisame who picked up the folder with curiosity, opening it only to see a photograph of a dark-haired teen about fifteen or sixteen. "He's handsome." Kisame remarked.

"I'm sure that you remember that there is one other there other than those from Orochimaru's people and the people of Danzo's simple-minded morons," said Tsunade. "A boy who is barely in his teens. Don't you find him familiar?"

Kisame sighed. "He's that kid from back then?" he asked, and Tsunade nodded. "I helped that kid out a little after ANBU arrived to defend the town. Himself and his younger brother were the only survivors. I'll love to help him back then, but unfortunately, what I can do is extremely limited, and there were plenty of orphans everywhere as it is with the civil war."

Tsunade nodded. "What do you think about his skills?" she asked.

Kisame frowned. "I'll say that he's strong," he said. "Far above the level of those rebels…even at his young age. And he's much stronger than those people, that's for sure."

Tsunade nodded. "I'll get straight to the point," she said. "The ANBU Chief gave me a call about an hour ago regarding this kid. Apparently, he's a nin-user as well, and so is his brother. Both are extremely powerful nin-users, and with proper training, they could grow to be very powerful in the future. We would like for you to recruit him for ANBU."

There was silence for a moment as Kisame scratched the back of his head.

"I don't know about that," he said hesitantly. "I mean, most people who have lost friends and families during the war hate Oto and Ne, but they didn't exactly hold ANBU in the highest regard as well. Until five years ago, ANBU didn't exactly set a very good example to the people. I'm not sure if the kid will listen to me."

"Give it a try, anyway," said Tsunade. "If the boy remembers you, it might help in getting himself and his brother over to the ANBU. And I've heard that Orochimaru had been after his younger brother. Tell him that if he joins ANBU, we'll be willing to offer himself and his brother protection, and if his brother wishes it, he can join the ANBU alongside him as well."

Kisame sighed. "In exchange for his service in the ANBU, huh?" he said.

Tsunade shrugged. "If you would like to put it that way, yes," she said.

"Fine, I'll give it a go. I'm not totally sure if he can be convinced though," muttered Kisame. "What's his name, by the way?"

"Itachi," said Tsunade. "Uchiha Itachi."

**

* * *

**And that is how one Uchiha Itachi had a most surprising visitor one morning from a man whom he vaguely remembers as a member of the mercenary group who had help defended the town from the rebels a few years ago when his entire family was murdered.

And he was even more surprised when he was told of the exact reason why this man even came here in the first place.

"You want me to become an ANBU dog?" Itachi hissed, narrowing his eyes at Kisame who gulped nervously inwardly. "I'll pass."

"You have no other choice!" said Kisame, standing up. "Think about your brother as well! Orochimaru is after him, isn't he?! What do you think that you can do alone?"

"I can protect him myself," hissed Itachi.

"Even if you could, do you think that you really want your brother to live in a place like this?" asked Kisame, gesturing towards the poorly furnished one-room flat which was the Uchiha brothers' apartment. Uchiha Sasuke was currently fast asleep on the thin mattress with a thin blanket covering him. "And sooner or later, he'll be dragged into the street gang life just to survive…like so many others out there. And you know the fates of most street gangs." Itachi didn't say anything for a while.

**

* * *

**_With Shiki and company:_

It was raining again, and that meant another day in the boathouse.

"But that guy…" said Hinata quietly to Yugito, acting as if she was merely continuing on a conversation with the blonde. "…why did he act that way?"

That boy's behaviour had been bothering all of them for some time now.

And as one, they turned towards Shiki who was currently settled on the couch with Gaara, reading a novel. Sensing the eyes of her friends on her, Shiki sighed and looked up from her book, closing it with a light clap. "To understand him, you have to first understand the situation of the war back then," she said. "I can't believe that I didn't recognise him when I first saw him."

Neji blinked in confusion. "Shiki, you know him?" he asked, bewildered.

"Not him personally," said Shiki. "I knew his brother. Aburame Shiri."

**

* * *

**"Why do you hate the ANBU so much?" asked Kisame after a long silence had fallen between them both. "Granted, I'm not exactly fond of them myself, but I need their help to find my sister, that's why—"

"Kisame-san, do you know what the ANBU were like in the past?" Itachi interrupted, and Kisame blinked. "I'll tell you. Whether it be ANBU or Oto or Ne…it doesn't make any difference. Each of them only brings more pain and suffering." Itachi looked over at Sasuke's sleeping form, and clenched his hands into fists. "I hate those people…those who look down on people…"

**

* * *

**"Aburame…Shiri…?"

Shiki nodded. "The ANBU in the past," she said. "They weren't like this in the past. They were the main cause behind the civil war that had ravaged Japan for years, and why majority of Japan's population now hates the nin-users. If it wasn't for them, the nin-users wouldn't have suffered like what we did now. That was back during the civil war. But it still didn't change the fact that it's their fault. The fault of those old leaders of the ANBU before the High Council stepped in and replaced the ANBU Chief and commander with the present ones, and before they changed the laws."

"I met Shiri a few years ago. A few months before the leaders of the ANBU were replaced during the civil war. He was a few years older than myself, and I found him rather likeable. We were friends in the city of Hagako. He told me once that he had a younger brother. Back then, Hagako was the nearest city to his village, and also the only place where he can find food and emergency supplies. That's how we met actually. But a few years ago, he died."

"How?"

"There was a fight. A gang fight. A person was killed. That person…was Shiri." The eyes of everyone present widened. Shiki chuckled bitterly before hitting one fist into the palm of her other hand. "The culprit was caught later. It was a high school senior of the local high school in the city of Hagako who had failed his exams, and he took out his frustration on Shiri who merely happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time back then. But that case was buried in the darkness."

"Why?"

"Because that's student's father…was a person with heavy political power with the ANBU. The ANBU flattened all those who were involved in this scandal. Even Blade…we may be attacked by Oto on Orochimaru's orders…but that's only because the former members of the ANBU's inner circle back then slipped news of our involvement in this case to him. Because that murderer didn't exactly get away unscathed. Blade killed him not long after we found out what exactly made the ANBU drop the case. And that case is also the reason why the High Council stepped in. But what's the use? A life was still lost."

"That's horrible."

"Not long after Shiri's death, I started investigating. It wasn't easy. And Jiraiya, my godfather, along with the rest of Blade, helped me. 'It was an order from the higher-ups.' That's what Jiraiya told me. I wasn't convinced. That's why I hid from the ANBU when they came recruiting a few years ago after the leaders of the ANBU were replaced, and the end of the civil war. Even if they've changed now, it still didn't change the fact that they tried to cover up the truth behind Shiri's death."

"Before Shiri died, he told me once that he had a younger brother. He only became a member of a street gang because he wanted to protect his brother. Shiri told me that his brother was a nin-user as well. That was why he wished to protect his brother. But his brother's name…I never learned it until today, that is. That boy from before…that was Shiri's brother. Aburame Shino was Shiri's brother."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Hikawa; Cat's Eye:_

A bell tinkled somewhere in the cafe-cum-bar of Cat's Eye as Shiki walked in, raindrops dripping off her raincoat, throwing the hood backwards. Her group had decided to make a quick stopover at Hikawa to pick up some supplies, and Shiki had decided to pay Iruka a visit.

The man was like a father or an elder brother to her. He could understand her in ways that no one could understand…not even her closest friends.

Iruka smiled at her as Shiki draped her raincoat over the back of a chair at the counter before she settled down on the chair beside it. There were a few moments before Iruka pushed a cup of hot chocolate towards her.

As Shiki stirred the contents of the cup, she glanced around, and was surprised to find an ebony haired teen several years older than herself seated at the end of the counter, stirring his coffee absent-mindedly, and seemed to be staring off into space.

"Something wrong, Shiki?" asked Iruka with concern, and Shiki turned towards the man. "You don't seem yourself today."

Shiki was silent for a moment, staring down into the contents of her cup, her face being reflected in the surface of the cup before it somehow changed into Shino's face before melting into Shiri's…then the night of his death.

"I don't understand…" said Shiki at last. "That guy…is he not afraid to die?"

Iruka looked at Shiki with understanding eyes. "You know, when you first came here, Shiki…you've got the eyes of someone drenched in cold rain," he said wisely, and Shiki looked at him with slight surprise.

"Huh?"

"I helped out at Cat's Eye from a very young age…even before my parents died," said Iruka. "That's why I couldn't bring myself to sell this place. I see many people from all walks of life as well as all kinds of people in here. Freelance agents and coordinators like yourself used this place as a meeting place of sorts. And I'm an information specialist of some kind as well. But then, Shiki…" Iruka smiled, not realising that the only other customer in his shop apart from Shiki is listening in intently as well. "…the current you…is a change from the last time that you stepped in here. You first met Hinata and Neji, then followed by Gaara, Temari and Kankuro, followed by Haku, and then Yugito. You've found your purpose, haven't you? 'Home is where the heart is and where people think of you'. I don't know what is worrying you, but whomever that you're thinking about…you know why he did what he did, don't you? You know what to do now, don't you?"

Shiki smiled a small smile at Iruka. Like always, talking to the brunette man can always clear the fog in her mind, and allow her to see things clearly.

"I wonder…" said the teen in the shop suddenly, and both Iruka and Shiki turned towards him. He looked rather miserable as he stirred his coffee. "Are problems really solved that easily?"

Iruka looked embarrassed at this point in time, scratching his cheek idly with one finger. "Well…it really depends on what problem that you're having," he said. "If you don't mind, kid, I can lend you a listening ear."

The teen shrugged one shoulder slightly. "I've been given an offer not long ago," he said. "An offer that I simply can't refuse by the one organisation that I vowed I would never come into contact with as long as I lived. But for my brother's sake, I…" He trailed off miserably.

"You're confused now, aren't you?" asked Iruka wisely, and the teen nodded.

"Usually, when it comes to situations like these, I find it best if you just follow what your heart tells you to do," said Shiki, and the teen turned towards her in surprise. "If you think that this offer can help your brother, then go for it. No one wants to live in the slums."

The teen smiled. "Thank you," he said. "I guess I just needed someone to give me a push in the right direction. For my brother's sake…" He trailed off. He then looked at Shiki. "Will I see you around sometimes?"

"I sometimes come here," said Shiki. "If you're lucky, maybe we'll meet again. I'm Namikaze Shiki. You are?"

"I'm Itachi," said the teen with a smirk. "Uchiha Itachi." He placed a wad of notes on the table to pay for his coffee before slipping off the stool. "I guess I'll take the ANBU up on their offer then." He muttered, not noticing that Shiki had frozen at the sound of the name, and that Iruka had paused in his cleaning of glasses.

There was the sound of a bell tinkling somewhere in the shop as Itachi left.

A very long silence fell not long after that.

"Do you think…that he would really…?" Shiki trailed off, glancing at Iruka.

Iruka sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately, yes," he said. "Like you said before, no one wants to live in the slums. That boy must be in a pretty bad situation to have to actually consider the ANBU's offer. You know as well as I do: once you get into the ANBU, you're in it for life. You can't leave without being dismissed by them, usually through death. The reason being that one will know too many secrets regarding the ANBU and the country during their service in the ANBU. Also, once he's in there, I doubt that he'll want to leave, and his attitude towards the ANBU would change sooner or later. ANBU formed a closely knit group in there. He'll find acceptance, friends and comrades in there. More than what he would find out here. The next time that we see him…will probably be when he's an ANBU agent."

Shiki frowned. "I only hope that he don't regret his choice," she muttered. "I hate them. The ANBU."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Hiraiko:_

The rain hasn't stopped yet when Shiki and her friends arrived back at Hiraiko via their boathouse, and Shiki somehow managed to slip out of the boathouse without any of her friends noticing, intending to find Shiri's brother. She knew that Shino knew who she is as well.

She soon found the boy in Maple Street.

"…you're back here again?"

"You're Shiri's brother, aren't you?" asked Shiki, going straight to the point. Shino stiffened, and she sighed. "I knew it. He told me about you. Before he took his last breath, he told me to find you and begged me to watch over you. But you went missing not long after that, and I didn't know where you are."

"I…hate the ANBU," muttered Shino. "I hate everything!" He whipped out a knife from out of nowhere. "Prove it to me! Prove to me that life is worth something!"

And Shiki's eyes narrowed dangerously as Shino dashed towards her…

**

* * *

**Meanwhile, within _Phoenix, _Haku and the rest were slowly seething, none of them willing to risk getting attacked by the gangs in Hiraiko and invite unnecessary attention to themselves just to find their currently MIA (missing-in-action) leader.

"I swear to the Bijuu Nine…Namikaze Shiki is a _dead _person!" ranted Shisei Haku, walking up and down.

"I'm with you there, Haku," said Hinata grimly. The usually gentle healer was looking quite ferocious at present. "We all knew that that Aburame had something out for her, and she still actually went out there by herself _alone??!! _Is she tired of living or something?!"

There was a knock on the door just then.

**

* * *

**Namikaze Shiki had a very long day.

She had miraculously managed to defeat one Aburame Shino, _barely _being the keyword here, and somehow managed to knock him out before dragging him back with her to the boathouse. And as she entered the _Phoenix _with one Aburame Shino currently hanging over her shoulder, she came face-to-face with her friends.

And none of them looked very happy.

Scratch that.

They looked _furious._

"Ah, how nice of you to join us, Shiki. Mind explaining why you were gone for _two whole hours _and that your coat is currently torn, and why a person who is about to rip your head off the last time we saw him is currently hanging over your shoulder? _Start talking." _Haku's nose flared, ignoring Shino's current state as no business of her own, and glaring at Shiki.

Shiki sighed. "Look, I'll explain later," she said hastily. "Can you and Hinata heal him now before he dies on us??!!"

Haku frowned before nodding and stepping forwards with Hinata to lift Shino off her shoulders. "I want an explanation later, Shiki," she warned, and Shiki nodded.

**

* * *

**Two whole hours later, Shiki exited one of the spare rooms in the boathouse where Shino currently lay in, with Haku and Hinata having finished tending to his injuries, both saying that it's a sheer miracle in itself that he's still alive as it is with the number of injuries that he's suffered at Shiki's hand, and yet again, Shiki didn't exactly get away unscathed either.

The rest of her friends were surprised that Shino came close to defeating her _single-handedly,_ as none of them have been able to defeat her yet, nin-abilities or not.

"Why do you insist on treating him?" asked Neji with a frown as Shiki exited the room where Shino was in only to see Neji standing outside, waiting for her. The rest of them have already turned in as it's getting late. "He tried to kill you. True, I understand his past. But that doesn't excuse what he tried to do."

"I know," said Shiki solemnly. "It's a promise that I made to his brother. Besides, even if I hadn't, I would have tried to help him, anyway. His eyes… They're the same as ours…a long time ago."

Neji bit on his lower lip. "I see…" he said. "Well, if it's you, it should be alright. Gaara was on the verge of ripping his limbs off earlier. But still…" He glanced at the closed door of the room. "He's good. He's able to keep up with you and even managed to hurt you." He glanced pointedly at the bandages bound around Shiki's left wrist. "He's the first to be able to do that. Not even Yugito came close to hurting you."

"Yeah," agreed Shiki with a nod.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was two days later when Shino finally woke up.

Shiki had been sitting by his bedside, with Hinata in a corner of the room. It was decided silently among all of them that if Shiki decided to help Shino who had actually tried to _kill _her, they wouldn't say anything about it, but if anyone thinks that they can kill their friend with them around, then they've got another thing coming. They'll kill whoever wanted to harm Shiki before they can even say 'nin-user'.

An uneasy silence fell between them both as Shiki stared at Shino, and Shino stared back at her. Shiki glanced at Hinata, and the healer interpreted the silent message that Shiki had sent her before heading out of the room.

"I'll be outside." Hinata informed Shiki who nodded.

The door closed silently behind Hinata before Shiki turned back towards Shino. She then sighed. "Is this enough for you?" she asked. "I can't guarantee that you'll survive the next time that you tried to kill me."

"It doesn't matter to me," muttered Shino. "Life has no meaning for me now. I should have died back then instead of my brother."

"Stop that," said Shiki sharply, and Shino turned towards her with surprised eyes. She sighed. "No one can die in the place of another. Shiri didn't give his life so that you can talk like that! He will be disappointed if he saw you now." She sighed. "Your powers are there for a reason. The same reason why nin-users even existed in the first place."

"Huh?"

"I know what it's like," said Shiki. "All of us – my friends and myself – we went through the same thing that you probably did. Some are even worse off. That's the price to pay for being a nin-user. We know nothing but loneliness, and pain and suffering before we find kinship and family in the form of other nin-users." She then sighed. "What are you going to do now?"

"I…don't know."

Shiki stared at Shino for a moment before sighing. "I made a promise to Shiri," she said. "I said that I'll watch over you. If you don't mind, you can come along with us. One more doesn't make a difference."

**

* * *

**And so, two hours later, everyone – including Shino – were all down on the first storey of the boathouse where Shiki had called for a meeting of some sort, though Gaara and Yugito were both looking at Shino suspiciously as if half expecting him to attack Shiki without warning.

That treatment of theirs towards Shino would probably last until about a week has passed.

"What did you call us for, Shiki?" asked Temari.

"It's about an idea that I've had when Shino agreed to join us," said Shiki, and everyone paid rapt attention to her. "How would you guys think about setting up a group of some sort to help the nin-users and any unfortunate people who've suffered injustice? Even with us resorting to assassination if necessary."

The eyes of everyone widened.

"What is this all of a sudden?" asked Neji in surprise.

"I've had it," said Shiki. "I've had it with all the shit that the nin-users of this land have to put up with. First was Blade, then Neji and Hinata. Followed by Gaara, Temari and Kankuro. Then Haku, Yugito, and finally Shino. If the ANBU won't do anything to help the nin-users, then I shall! Furthermore, with the Rebellion Group still out there, the nin-users would still be in danger from them. We've been working on locating the nine Bijuu Shrines anyway. We might as well help better the lives of the nin-users."

Everyone was nodding slowly, seeing the logic in Shiki's words. "That's true," said Yugito slowly. "We're tired of seeing all these shit happen, anyway. Why should the nin-users suffer because of the arrogance of the humans?"

Shiki smiled. "If none of you have any objections, then I guess that it's decided then," she said, and everyone nodded.

"We were thinking of starting something like this a while back," said Haku with a shrug. "We just have no idea if you will object to it. I guess our fears are uncalled for then." She mused. "What shall we call our group? I mean, every group has to have a name, right? Since we aren't exactly doing something that ANBU will approve, and we have to hide in the darkness. 'Right the injustice of the world.' That will do for our slogan."

Shiki had a faint hint of a smile tugging at the ends of her lips. "…Ragnarok," she said. "I do believe that it means 'Twilight of the Gods' or 'End of the World' in the Norse tongue." She smiled at her friends. "Fitting name, don't you think?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Meanwhile, in the ANBU headquarters of Leaf City, Hoshigaki Kisame was showing one Uchiha Itachi and his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, into the office of Senju Tsunade, the ANBU commander. Sasuke seemed rather scared and was clinging to his brother, and Itachi had a hand on his brother's shoulder to prevent Sasuke from running off.

Tsunade looked at Itachi coolly. "Well, Uchiha Itachi," she said. "I'll assume by the fact that you're here that you agree to our terms?"

Itachi nodded. "On the condition that you train my brother as an ANBU agent as well," he said. "I want him to be able to protect himself as well. I can't be there for him all the time, and I won't have Orochimaru getting his hands on him."

Tsunade nodded slowly, glancing at Sasuke. "I guess that'll be okay," she said. "We _do _have an open class for kids his age in the ANBU Academy who are mostly nin-users whom we have found after the war. We're training them to be ANBU agents as well. Your brother can join that class." She cleared her throat. "The ANBU Chief and myself were thinking of creating two new teams within the ANBU. These two new teams would be the elites of the ANBU, and we would like for you to join one of the teams as their captain, since from what I've seen, you've proven yourself to be able and capable enough to lead a team, and your strength isn't to be sneezed at…even without your nin-abilities. And this other team will consist of the members of the class that Sasuke is going to be in."

Itachi nodded slowly. "Will my teammates be alright with the fact that I'm a nin-user?" he asked hesitantly.

Tsunade laughed. "You don't have to worry about it," she said. _"All _of them are nin-users themselves. Kisame is the vice-captain of the team." Kisame grinned from his position next to the door. "And this team is called the Akatsuki."

Itachi smirked. "Red Dawn, huh?" he said.

"Kisame will show you two to the dorms," said Tsunade before handing an ANBU identification pass across the desk to Itachi. "But in the meantime…Uchiha Itachi, welcome to the ANBU."

* * *

_A/N: I think that this is the longest chapter that I've ever done for Blood Red Moon. So Shino had joined them, and Itachi and Sasuke have both joined the ANBU, and Ragnarok has been established. Next chapter will have a time-skip, and Tenten will make an appearance! I'll list the members of Ragnarok's powers next chapter when the final member of Ragnarok will join them._

_I hope that you like this chapter, and I know that I'm not really asking for much, but please leave me some feedback so that I at least know how people are taking this story! Again, thank you for reading, and I hope that you like this chapter, and please review!_

_**Upcoming Stories:**_

_**Azure Blue Moon (Naruto)**_

_AU Time Travel FemNaru. After the ninja villages were destroyed as a result of the war between the ninja nations and Akatsuki, Kami and Fate decided to give Namikaze Shiki one chance to fix things by sending her back to the time of the shinobi clan wars before the founding of any of the ninja villages, where by some strange twist of fate, she found herself befriending the teenaged First and Second Hokages as well as a young Uchiha Madara. Madara/Shiki_


	5. The Pyromaniac

Hey, sorry for the late update, people. I'm busy remaking my websites from scratch after taking on a web design course, and thus, can't seem to find the time to update ANY of my stories. Anyway, Tenten will make an appearance in this chapter, and so will Itachi, though he still won't know who Shiki is. Shiki and co will be about twelve at this point in time, and Itachi will be about seventeen.

**Disclaimer: **Parts of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Pyromaniac**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Two Years Later  
__Araiko_

Shiki, Gaara and Neji exchanged glances with each other as they watched the ANBU seal off the town square where two of the ANBU were scraping whatever remained of the man off the spike set up in the middle of the town square sometime during the night. The corpse was burned to a crisp, and his face was nearly undistinguishable because of the horrific burns.

Shiki exchanged looks with Gaara and Neji before tilting her head slightly, and the two nodded. Without a word, the three walked away from the crowd currently crowding around the town square, not one of the three noticing the startled look that a certain ANBU captain was giving the only girl among the three.

Uchiha Itachi frowned as he laid eyes on the departing back of one Namikaze Shiki.

"Itachi?" Konan – the medic in his squad – voiced out as some of the ANBU agents were loading the corpse onto a stretcher and loading it into the van.

"Sorry. You guys go on ahead without me," said Itachi without taking his eyes off of Shiki. "It's going to take some time for the coroner to write up his report anyway. Give me a call once it's done."

Konan frowned, but nodded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Sea near Hiraiko  
__Two Hours Later_

Gaara and Neji climbed up the ladder leading up to the roof of the boathouse as Kankuro was steering the boathouse below them only to see Shiki sitting on the rooftop of the boathouse with her knees drawn up to her chest, the wind whistling through her hair during their journey on the sea.

"Shiki?" Neji voiced out, and Shiki turned around to see the two males. The Hyuuga sighed, taking a seat beside her. "I knew it. You're still bothered by it."

Shiki said nothing for awhile.

**

* * *

**_Flashback:_

Shiki and Neji watched from atop the tree branches of some tree that they're on as they watched their target playing with his daughter who doesn't seem to be much older than them.

Ragnarok was quite well-known by now…in the world of the Internet, and especially with the teenagers. Yet the identities of their members were shrouded in mystery, and several forums on the Internet had speculated far and wide about the members of Ragnarok. Shino had came across several of them – the guy being a born genius with computers, and there's nothing that he can't do with them – and the insect user was the one who had actually built their site as well as trace all the requests that came to them through their site. Basically, anything to do with computers are all handled by Shino, and the guy hardly ever moves from his position at the computer in the boathouse not too far away from the door.

Ragnarok had just gotten a rather…strange request about a week back, and their client was a rich business tycoon from the town of Araiko – one of the towns that is on the black list of Ragnarok's as Araiko is one of the towns that had a reputation for hating nin-users as well.

The request was rather strange.

Most of Ragnarok's clients so far are either hiring their services for revenge, or for some weird reason. And each job will cost the client either half of their assets or their most valuable possession, but depending on the situation, Ragnarok sometimes don't charge their client anything but the client's silence regarding Ragnarok's involvement. But still, regardless, all clients were bound with a spirit bond so that they can never betray Ragnarok.

And now, with that rather strange request to take out a man who was supposedly 'threatening and blackmailing' their client, Ragnarok had came to Araiko via their boathouse aka headquarters. Shiki was rather concerned about this particular client and had gone personally with Neji and Gaara to investigate, when usually, she usually sent one of the others to do it instead of doing it herself.

Both Neji and Shiki watched wistfully with a longing expression in their eyes as they watched the daughter squealed with laughter as her father made some funny movements with the hand puppet that he had on, and the house was filled with the joyous laughter of both father and daughter.

Shiki glanced at the piece of paper in her hand which is the information that both Temari and Shino have uncovered about their client and their target. Their client was supposedly a very wealthy business tycoon in this part of Japan by the name of Shiteruki Aruka, owner of Shiteruki Inc, an extremely wealthy company which deals with motor vehicles. And their target was a man by the name of Kinzoku Tessai, a widower after his wife had passed away in childbirth, and he had brought his only daughter up single-handedly, and supports himself as well as his daughter by becoming a freelancing journalist.

There was a shift in the wind just then, and both Neji and Shiki turned to see Gaara appear just above their heads on a tree bough, squatting down on it.

"Well?" asked Neji.

Gaara sighed and looked at Shiki. "You've guessed it right," he said. "That man, Shiteruki Aruka…" He trailed off.

Shiki sighed and looked at her two friends, making up her mind.

"We're pulling back," she said, turning away from the house and the scene of the father and daughter. "Inform the others about it."

Neji and Gaara nodded before following their leader.

"Hai."

_Flashback Ends:_

**

* * *

**"I never should have left that girl alone…" Shiki nearly whispered, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I know that she's a nin-user…a particularly powerful one at that, with the ability to wield and control flames in every form, along with the ability to control metal, and she's telekinetic…like most of those who could control flames, but…"

"You did nothing wrong," said Gaara patiently. "That girl is not like us. She has a father – someone who loves her and would do anything to protect her. She's one of the lucky few who had that. Most of us don't. We only know how to fight to survive until we've met you. You didn't know what would happen. Even Yugito…her Insight – her ability to see the future is of no help to her at this point in time because the parties concerned in the future that she could see kept changing their minds and objectives, and she kept seeing different futures. That's why she can't do anything. You wouldn't have known what would happen. You wouldn't have known that Shiteruki would actually kill Kinzoku Tessai that night, and he actually turned up dead, burned to a crisp in the middle of the town square."

"Only one person could have done that to him," said Shiki grimly, and turned towards Neji and Gaara whom both nodded solemnly. "Only one person."

Neji sighed. "Well, let's just hope that she at least had the sense to get away from the town before the ANBU found out that she's a nin-user, and not just any nin-user, but one of _fire."_

Shiki sighed as she looked up and saw that they're slowly approaching the shores of Hiraiko. "Well, we'll worry about it when the time comes," she said. "I'm going to get some time alone for awhile. We'll meet back at Cat's Eye in four hours time. I need you guys to do some shopping for me anyway."

Neji and Gaara both nodded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye Café  
__Hiraiko_

The café of Cat's Eye is extremely empty, like it always was at this hour of the day, and Shiki was currently stirring her coffee absent-mindedly with a spoon, making it thicker than it already was, seemingly not seeing anything at all.

Iruka who was cleaning glasses as usual watched her with concern.

The man was one of the few who knew about Ragnarok. The others being Shizune, Yugao, Genma, Hayate, Asuma and Kurenai. Only two others in Shiki's contacts other than the remaining survivors of her old gang knew about them, and those two were easily some of the best information agents that Shiki can find. Cat's Eye is the meeting place for them, and it also helps matters that Iruka is also an information agent of some sort.

Shiki blinked as Iruka pushed a plate on which lay a slice of chocolate cake on it. "I didn't order this, Iruka," she said, looking up at the café owner.

"No. That young man over there did," said Iruka with a slight smile and jerked his chin towards some random direction, and Shiki turned to see the only other customer apart from her in Cat's Eye sitting in one of the cubicle seats by the window of Cat's Eye.

Uchiha Itachi smirked and raised his cup of coffee at Shiki before moving towards her and sitting down in the chair beside her at the counter.

Shiki sighed as she recognised him immediately as the boy whom she had met nearly two years ago in this very café that stormy night when he had walked in here, looking like the living dead. Her sharp eyes noticed the ANBU badge pinned on his collar, the colours signifying that he was of a high rank in the ANBU, probably a captain.

"Do you always use this method to pick up girls?" Shiki asked sarcastically.

"Come on, it's okay, isn't it?" said Itachi. "We could be friends or something. I'm Uchiha Itachi. What's your name?"

"I don't want to."

"Huh?"

Shiki looked at Itachi. "I don't give my name to people whom I barely know," she said before she placed a few coins onto the counter and slid off her stool. "Iruka, I'll be making a move. I still have to do some shopping."

"Okay."

**

* * *

**_Bookstore  
__Hiraiko  
__Two Hours Later_

"Yo."

Shiki stared and nearly groaned as she saw the figure of one Uchiha Itachi currently sitting atop his sleek black and silver motorbike which seems to be the latest Werewolf model in the market – the fastest bike yet. She knew because she had that bike as well. Apart from their boathouse, the rest of Ragnarok have cars and bikes parked in hidden locations all over Japan in case they require the usage of it.

"Are you following me or something?" Shiki nearly groaned as she placed her purchase of the French version of _Loveless _into the bag that she's currently carrying, hanging by one strap from her shoulder, the twin bells that she currently wore as a bracelet on her left wrist tinkling a little as she did so.

Shiki is an avid fan of Loveless, and collected every version of the book that she's came across so far – English, German, Latin, Greek, Norwegian, etc. And she also had a pretty old copy of Loveless which her godfather had given her, saying that it's supposed to be the _original _copy of Loveless which states the prophecy about the Bijuu Nine.

"Come on, at least tell me your name," said Itachi.

Shiki rolled her eyes. How persistent can this guy get? Does he not understand the word 'no' and that she's not interested?

"And I thought that I've already told you that I don't feel like telling you."

"Twila."

"Huh?" Shiki blinked in confusion at the sudden random word spurting out of Itachi's mouth. How random can he be? And Shiki recognised that word as Latin as she knew that language, being part German herself. Jiraiya had taught her German and Latin when she was a child, and she's picked it up extremely quickly.

Itachi was smirking as he spoke. "You refused to tell me your name, so I shall give you one," he said. "I can't keep calling you 'you' all the time, can I? Besides, I think Twila meant 'justice' in Latin, and it meant 'freedom' in another language as well, I think. It kind of suits you, anyway."

Shiki rolled her eyes. "You're persistent," she said.

"I try my best," said Itachi with a smirk. "Besides, you have to be if you're a captain in the ANBU forces. My team takes on plenty of difficult and complicated cases."

Shiki was silent for a moment, hearing him bring up the topic of ANBU, and remembered what he's said two years ago when he said that he'll take the ANBU up on their offer for him to join them as an agent if they can protect his younger brother and give him a better life.

"So you've joined the ANBU, have you?" she said at last, and Itachi nodded. "How do you like it in there?"

Itachi frowned a little. "It's alright, I guess," he said with a half-shrug. "My kid brother…he's got friends for the first time in his life in there. He'll be graduating from the ANBU Academy in three months' time along with the rest of his peers, and I've heard from some of the members in my team that the ANBU commander is appointing him the captain of a new ANBU team like my own team, with the rest of his classmates being the other members in that team." He sighed. "So I guess that the ANBU is alright…for now."

Shiki didn't say anything for awhile.

"Hey, tell me your name already," said Itachi, and Shiki nearly groaned.

"You don't give up, do you?" she grumbled, and she sighed. "Fine. Seeing as how you've given me your name, I shall give you mine. Namikaze Shiki. Are you satisfied now? Now can I go back?"

"Wait."

Shiki nearly groaned at this, and turned towards Itachi. "Now what?"

Itachi had a smirk on his face at this. "Do you want to go for a ride?" he asked, patting his motorbike. Before Shiki could answer however, Itachi's cellphone rang, blaring out with the ringtone of the Final Fantasy VII Theme. Itachi sighed before pulling out his cellphone and answering it. "What?" He listened for a few moments with a frown as he listened to whatever the person on the other end of the line has to say. "…I understand. I'll be right back." And he shut his cellphone before turning towards Shiki. "Sorry, I have to go. Duty calls."

Shiki nodded. "Maybe next time then," she said.

Itachi smirked. "I'll hold you to that," he said before starting up his bike and roaring away.

Shiki sighed and was about to go to the seaside of Hiraiko when her cellphone rang, ringing with the sweet melody of You Are My Love. Shiki sighed as she pulled out her cellphone from her pocket and saw the name 'Gaara' flashing on the screen and answered her phone.

"What is it?"

"_Shiki, it's me," _said Gaara on the other end of the line, and the redhead almost sounded like he's frowning, and he sounded worried. _"Come to Cat's Eye. Now. There's something on the news which you have to see. The rest of us are here as well."_

Shiki frowned, and nodded slowly. "Okay," she said. "I'll be right over." _Click._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye  
__Ten Minutes Later_

"…_and that concludes today's emergency news report. This is reporter Yukihira—"_

_Zap._

Kankuro turned off the television in Cat's Eye by using the remote control, and turned towards the rest of Ragnarok, all who have rather solemn and serious expressions on their faces.

Iruka had closed the café for the day as the members of Ragnarok were gathered in the café, watching the news regarding the arrest that the ANBU had made of a nin-user. And said nin-user happened to be the very same one who was involved in the last request that Shiki had turned down. According to the news, the ANBU had some inside information that this nin-user might be involved in the murder of Shiteruki Aruka, and they would be taking her in custody at the ANBU headquarters in Leaf City.

"What are we going to do?" asked Haku, breaking the sudden silence that had befallen them. "If we don't do something, the ANBU are…" She cleared her throat uneasily. "Well, we all knew what the ANBU will probably do to her. Either force her to join the ANBU or they'll kill her."

There was the sound of chairs scraping the wooden surface of the floor of Cat's Eye just then, and everyone present turned towards the source of the sound which turned out to be Shiki who had stood up from her seat, a blank expression on her face, both hands on the table before her. The captain of Ragnarok then turned towards her friends.

"We're going to save her," she said grimly. "All of you know that there are only two fates that await a nin-user who had unfortunately caught the interest of the ANBU: death or join the ANBU. Once a nin-user is in the ANBU, they're in it for life. They can't leave without being dismissed by them, usually through death. Even though the members of the High Council are not corrupted now, this is the one aspect about them that hasn't changed, and even though I'm loathed to admit it, they have a sound reasoning behind this logic." Shiki sighed and looked at her friends. "Get yourselves ready. Hinata, set the course of the boathouse to the outskirts of Leaf City. We're going to save that girl."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters  
__Leaf City_

Itachi sighed as he walked into Akatsuki's office-cum-meeting room where most of the members of the Akatsuki were seated behind their desks, resting up from the long and draining operation earlier where they were nearly roasted alive just to capture _one_ nin-user.

It was safer for Kisame compared to the rest of them as the guy was a water nin-user and could protect himself easily. But for Konan, Nagato, Deidara, Sasori and Tobi…those five were nearly cooked alive. Itachi was a flame wielder as well, and the flames that were sent to attack them didn't do too much to him.

Nagato nearly got cooked alive as well when his ability to stop objects in the air couldn't work on that girl, and if it wasn't for Konan – his girlfriend – who used her ability to make origami come to life, he would have been cooked alive by those hot flames.

"Ah. Itachi, you're back," said Konan as she noticed their captain's presence, pouring herself some coffee from the coffee dispenser in the Akatsuki's room. "How did the interrogation go?"

Itachi sighed and shook his head. "The girl clammed up completely," he said. "We don't even know her real name. And I can't say I blame her. Most of the people in Japan may hate Oto and Ne because of the last war, but they don't exactly hold ANBU in the highest regard either. Furthermore, we arrested her for seemingly no reason at all, save for the fact that it's an order from the commander."

Nagato frowned. "Nanda? Itachi, you have no idea why we were given the order to arrest the girl as well?" he asked in confusion, and Itachi shook his head.

"It took all seven of us just to get her into that holding cell WITHOUT being turned into a crisp, and to put those repressor shacklers on her," said Deidara with a sigh. "I swear, this job requires some high hazard pay. It's not good for my heart."

Everyone laughed.

"Well, I'm seriously not surprised that the girl reacted this way to us," said Konan. "I mean, she's a nin-user after all. And how many nin-users can you find in Japan who has someone who cared for and loved them? Most of them have been through starvation and the likes even BEFORE they turned ten. Most of them even took to killing just to survive. We went through that too until the ANBU picked us up." Konan didn't elaborate on the 'how', and no one asked.

KRRRAAANNNGGG!

All of Akatsuki were startled suddenly by the sudden loud alarm ringing shrilly throughout headquarters, and the red alarm lights were flashing, indicating emergency alert.

"_Emergency! Emergency! Intruders in ANBU headquarters! Repeat, intruders in ANBU headquarters! All ANBU agents are to append all suspicious characters and drive the intruders out immediately!"_

Sasori exchanged looks with his partner in the Akatsuki – Deidara – and sighed, getting up from his seat. "Come on, let's go," he said. "Duty calls."

The rest of the Akatsuki nodded and headed out of their office.

BOOM!

A part of ANBU headquarters was blown off the moment that the Akatsuki exited out from their office, and Itachi frowned as he realised that it came from the direction of the holding cell where that nin-user was put in, and suddenly took off into a run towards the holding cell, suddenly realising that whoever the intruders are have came for the girl.

And if those intruders are good enough to infiltrate ANBU headquarters in broad daylight without anyone noticing, then they're not to be underestimated.

Itachi arrived at the scene along with the rest of his team members, and several ANBU members, along with the ANBU commander were also present. A section of the wall was missing, and two cloaked individuals were standing on the windowsill, the bottom halves of their faces masked as well, and a bandanna was wrapped around their heads. In fact, the only thing that could be seen about them was their eyes. The nin-user that the Akatsuki had spent a hell of a time capturing currently lay unconscious in the arms of one of the two, the repressors and shacklers around the girl's wrists and ankles destroyed.

"Who are you guys?!" demanded some random ANBU agent.

"I'm sorry," said the other cloaked individual – the one who isn't carrying the girl. "We'll be taking her."

Tsunade's eyes widened as she saw the symbol stitched on their cloaks – a symbol of a sun and a moon with red outlines around it with a lightning bolt down the middle. The ANBU commander paled at once and looked at the two.

"You guys are…!"

The one carrying the girl smirked. "Seems like you know who we are," he said. "Oh well. The captain did warn us that this will happen. We'll have the pleasure to cross paths again. Until then."

And the two disappeared in a flock of ravens.

**

* * *

**_ANBU Commander's Office  
__ANBU Headquarters  
__Leaf City_

Three whole hours later, Itachi and Kisame were both summoned to Tsunade's office. ANBU members were still clearing up the mess and debris made by the break in, and the members of the Akatsuki were among them. Deidara, Konan and Tobi were currently trying to repair the gigantic hole in the wall with no success.

"A mysterious group?" asked Kisame with a frown, and Tsunade sighed and nodded.

"We didn't want to tell you this if possible," said Tsunade, curling her fingers beneath her chin as she spoke. "But this mysterious group…Ragnarok is what they called themselves. They've been around for about two years now, at this point in time. Ragnarok is a mercenary group for hire…_assassins _for hire."

Itachi's blood nearly turned cold. _"Assassins?!"_

"Yes," said Tsunade solemnly with a nod. "And it's the way that they operate which is a little unusual. Unlike the usual assassins that we usually went after, we hardly get any information and news on Ragnarok and their members at all. We barely know anything about them but mere rumours. Rumours which have been filtering around the Internet lately. But what we do know is that there are a whole group of them, but we've never known anything about them despite investigating for two whole years, and neither do we know anything about their clients. For just a price of ryou, half of the client's assets or something most valuable to them, though in some cases, they don't take anything at all, Ragnarok does the job. But their clients usually hire them for revenge killings. This group has been around for about two years at this point in time, but we didn't know anything about them other than the fact that their leader is a girl."

There was silence for awhile.

"Nothing at all?" asked Itachi at last.

Tsunade shook her head. "Nothing," she said, shuffling her papers about. "Not even a single name."

**

* * *

**_Somewhere Else_

"…Shiki."

Namikaze Shiki turned around as she watched the two cloaked individuals responsible for the chaos at ANBU headquarters at Leaf City walked up to her, one of them had the girl that they've just rescued slung over his shoulder.

The boathouse was currently docked behind some cliffs to avoid being seen, and the members of Ragnarok are sea people, most of them practically brought up on the sea, and knew the waters of Japan like the back of their hand.

Shiki nodded to them. "Good work," she said. "Is it difficult to get in there?"

The cloaks of the two were then thrown off, revealing themselves to be Hyuuga Neji and Sabaku no Gaara. Neji was the one carrying the girl, and he snorted. "Don't make me laugh," he said with a scoff. "It's so easy to infiltrate the headquarters that it's nearly laughable! We don't even need to use my barrier powers. But Gaara had some fun blowing up a part of the headquarters."

Gaara rolled his eyes in annoyance and Shiki laughed.

"Well, never mind that," said Shiki. "Put her in one of the spare rooms, and get Hinata and Haku to take a look at her." Neji nodded before stepping past Shiki and entering the boathouse. Shiki then turned towards Gaara. "How did it go?"

Gaara snorted. "That ANBU lady noticed our symbol," he said. "She knew who we are. And that means that rumours of our exploits have even reached their ears. It will only be a matter of time before the ANBU started chasing after us."

Shiki sighed. "Well, we all knew that when we first started Ragnarok," she said. "Come on, let's go in. We have to leave this place as soon as possible."

Gaara nodded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Hiraiko  
__Six Hours Later_

It was night-time when the girl whom Gaara and Neji have broken out of the ANBU headquarters finally woke up. Hinata and Haku have both examined her and both stated that there isn't much wrong with her. Only mere exhaustion because of overuse of her powers, and because of those damn repressors that the ANBU uses to imprison nin-users.

The girl stiffened in fright when she noticed that she was in an unfamiliar bed, and that her injuries have been tended to. She also noticed that it was currently night-time, and that moonlight was streaming in through the window, and that a strange red-haired girl around her own age was standing by the window, watching the moon.

The girl soon turned around. "You're awake," she stated, moving towards her. "I'm Namikaze Shiki. I sent some of my friends to break you out of the ANBU headquarters."

The girl stared at her like she's suddenly turned mad. "Why did you do such a thing?" she asked in confusion. "The ANBU will be after you next! They especially hated nin-users! If you and your comrades possess enough power to break me out of the most tightly guarded place in Japan, then you and your friends must be nin-users as well."

Shiki nodded. "We _are_ nin-users ourselves," she said. "Top class ones. Just like you." Shiki glanced towards the bedside table beside the girl, and the girl turned to look only to see a photo frame in which was a photo of nine people standing outside a boathouse, among which included the girl currently in front of her. And judging by the photo, this girl must be the leader among them.

"They are…"

"They are my friends," said Shiki solemnly. "I met them when I was travelling throughout Japan, and they decided to come with me as they have enough of their lives in wherever I had met them." The girl was quiet at this point in time, knowing exactly what Shiki was talking about. No nin-user wouldn't know what she's talking about. "Before I've met them…my old friends…they were killed. Thus, when I met them and they've decided to come with me, I made a promise to myself…and to them as well." Shiki turned towards the girl. "Have you heard of Ragnarok?"

The girl nodded before her eyes widened and she stared at Shiki, putting two and two together. "Don't tell me…"

Shiki nodded. "We _are _Ragnarok," she said. She turned towards the photograph on the bedside table. "I made them a promise the day that we established Ragnarok…each and every one of us having had enough of how nin-users are treated in Japan. None of us can return to our homes now because of the prejudice that the people have against nin-users. I made them a promise that day. We're going to build a better life for the nin-users in the world. No nin-user in the future will suffer through what we have gone through in the past! And I intend to keep that promise." Shiki turned towards the girl. "What's your name?"

The girl was silent for a few moments. "…Kinzoku Tenten," she said.

"Well then, Tenten," said Shiki. "I intend to make the same promise to you that I've made to them. Do you want to come with us? Will you be willing to fight with us? For a better future and a better world for the nin-users?"

Tenten smiled. "Even though I would like to say that you're crazy for even attempting this, I too would like to see what this can amount to," she said. "I'm not much use for anything but fighting. My dad taught me how to fight. He used to fight in the last war before he left that life to marry my mother." She smiled. "Count me in."

Shiki smiled. "Well then…welcome to Ragnarok."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Shiki made her way down the spiralling staircase of the boathouse to the first level where she found Shino still awake and sitting before his computer, the only light available being the table lamp, sipping on a cup of coffee.

"The others are all asleep?" asked Shiki.

Shino nodded. "They've had a long day," he said. "They're all tired. That girl decided to join us?"

Shiki nodded. "…Shino." Said insect user turned towards the redhead only to find an unusually serious and solemn expression on her face. "I want you to do something for me. You're good with computers, right?"

Shino frowned. "Well, there's nothing that I can't do with computers," he said. "But you already knew that, of course."

"Then I want you to investigate some things for me…regarding _all _the members of Ragnarok…including myself," said Shiki seriously.

Shino blinked. "Why?"

"Some things just don't add up here," said Shiki with a frown. "I've been thinking about this for awhile now. Out of all the nin-users in Japan, just why is it just us who are being chased after by the ANBU? And ironically, all of our parents died during the war, or were involved in the war in some way. This can't be just a coincidence, and I for one don't believe in coincidences. I want you to find a connection of some sort between us…and the ANBU."

Shino nodded.

"…consider it done."

* * *

_A/N: One of my longest chapters yet. And as promised, here is a list of the powers of the members of Ragnarok:_

_Namikaze Shiki: mind/time/elemental_

_Hyuuga Hinata: healing/water_

_Hyuuga Neji: barrier_

_Sabaku no Gaara: sand_

_Sabaku no Temari: wind_

_Sabaku no Kankuro: sand/earth (unlike Gaara, he can't create it out of nothing)_

_Shisei Haku: ice/healing_

_Nii Yugito: dimensional/lightning/ability to control the dead _

_Aburame Shino: control insects or animals_

_Kinzoku Tenten: ability to control fire in any form/telekinetic/control metal_

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_What is your name?"_

"_Tokisha Maya."_

"_Do you hate that man?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because of him, my younger sister, Miya is__…Miya is…!"_

"_What is your wish?"_

"_Take that man…straight to the pits of Hell!"_

"_I hear and deliver this vengeance."_


	6. Prelude of Ruin

**Disclaimer: **Parts of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Six: Prelude of Ruin**

_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end  
__The goddess descends from the sky  
__Wings of light and dark spread afar  
__She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting  
__- Loveless, Prologue_

**

* * *

**_Four Years Later  
__Regni Forest_

(Shiki and co are about sixteen at this point in time)

"God…" muttered Haruno Sakura, covering her nose and mouth with her hand.

Around her, the other members of the ANBU were all following Sakura's example. In fact, the only ones not affected by the stench of the body was the captain of Rendoku – one of ANBU's best teams – Uchiha Sasuke – and the captain of ANBU's other elite team, Akatsuki, being led by one Uchiha Itachi.

In the forest ten miles west of Regni City, a dead body being nailed by the palms of the hands to a wooden stake could be seen. Blood was streaming down the body, and there was a white card with edges of red pinned to the wooden stake just above the dead person's head – a symbol of a sun and moon placed together with a lightning bolt down the middle of it – Ragnarok's calling card.

Rendoku was a relatively new team in the ANBU set up four years ago which consists of the brightest and best graduates from the ANBU Academy which members were all ironically in the same class during their time in the Academy, with about half of them being nin-users, though this fact was not widely known, and the captain of Rendoku was Uchiha Sasuke, the younger brother of the Akatsuki's captain.

The teams of both Rendoku and Akatsuki were informed of the infamous assassin group, Ragnarok, about four years ago just after the attack on ANBU headquarters when two mysterious masked assailants broke out a nin-user that the ANBU had arrested on the charge of first degree murder, and just after Rendoku was newly formed.

Especially since Ragnarok had been becoming famous in recent months, especially since every single person killed by them had been criminals, or criminals who had escaped the hands of the law. Their modus operandi was kind of strange as well. Just for the price of half of the client's assets or ryou, though in some cases, Ragnarok don't charge anything at all, Ragnarok do the job. And yet, despite it being nearly six years or so ever since Ragnarok had made their appearance, not a single person had any clue on Ragnarok or their members.

Uchiha Itachi sighed as he watched Inuzuka Kiba and Rock Lee – the agents of his brother's team take the body of the deceased down from the stake carefully and turned towards Kisame.

"Any clue about the deceased?"

"Yeah," said Kisame with a nod, looking through a file that he's gotten some time back from Sasori, and looked at Itachi. "Katori Hanjo, aged 29. He was charged for rape and murder of three teenage girls a few years back, but as there wasn't enough proof to pin him for those charges, he was released."

Itachi sighed before turning to his brother before both brothers exchanged looks and let out simultaneous sighs. Once again, they were too late. Sasuke shook his head before turning towards his team. "Alright. Pack up and let's head back to headquarters."

"Hai!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters  
__Leaf City_

"Alright, this is getting ridiculous," said Senju Tsunade, the commander of the ANBU. "This is the sixth murder this month alone, and the public are saying that the ANBU are incompetent!"

"It's not our fault!" protested Yamanaka Ino. "Let's say that even if a member of the public had information on Ragnarok, they wouldn't tell us! Ragnarok's supporters are all over the place! You should see what people are saying about them on the Net!"

Tsunade sighed. "What's the coroner's report?"

Nara Shikamaru, the tactician and brains behind Sasuke's Rendoku team frowned and leafed through the file that he had before him. Shikamaru sighed. "The usual," he said. "The victim died from multiple lacerations, and torture methods used on him involves breaking of multiple bones as well as several sharp wooden stakes being nailed into him simultaneously. He died from blood loss from being hanged onto the wooden stake that we found him at in Regni Forest."

"Wait a moment," interrupted Tsunade, holding up a hand, an incredulous look on her face. "You're saying that he actually LIVED through that torture before dying from blood loss? Meaning that he was actually ALIVE throughout all that insane torture?"

Shikamaru nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so," he said. "He was still alive throughout all that before dying from blood loss. Ironically, that was how the victim's previous three victims died as well." Shikamaru chuckled bitterly. "Karma, is it? How ironic."

"We've been at this for close to four years now," said Nagato, throwing a file down on the table before him. "And we had no clue on Ragnarok and who their members are, where their hideout is and who their leader is! Nothing at all despite investigating for nearly four years, and practically turning Japan upside down just to find them! This is getting ridiculous!"

"And let's put it this way," said Shikamaru with a bored tone. "Even if the members of the public knew something about Ragnarok, they wouldn't tell us anything. Ragnarok has the support of the public because of who their victims are and their modus operandi. They _never _hurt the innocents, and they only punish the guilty and the wicked."

"Yes, and it's their killing methods on their victims that is disturbing me," said Itachi with a sigh. Seeing everyone's eyes on him, he proceeded to explain. "Think about it. Regni Forest isn't far from Regni City. Judging by the torture that Ragnarok put the victim through, don't you think that _anyone _would have at least _heard _something? Like maybe the victim's screams? But no one had _seen_ or _heard_ anything until the body is found! I find it strange."

Tsunade frowned. "Is there _anything _that we should know about Ragnarok at least?" she asked, exasperated by the lack of information on Ragnarok.

"Well…other than the fact that they've been all over the Web for some time now?" Everyone stared at Inuzuka Kiba who had spoken. Said teen blinked. "What? They've been all over the Web for some time now. I come across a forum or a message board on the Web discussing about them without fail every single time that I log onto the Web. Everyone knows that Ragnarok is an assassin group for hire. Name anything and they'll do it…depending on the job type, of course. But from what I heard from one of the most active forums that discussed them, Ragnarok investigates their mission first before accepting. You have to know the correct procedure to contact them through their website to hire them. But one thing that I'd found out about them though…" Kiba frowned.

"Most of their clients – the people who had hired them – was mostly because of revenge – they wanted Ragnarok to take out someone they hated, and they did it for a small price. Provided that their reason is sufficient enough, and their plea is enough to move Ragnarok. And the message on Ragnarok's webpage was, 'Ask and we shall deliver. Hands of thunder, deliverers of justice, harbinger of death and revenge'."

"A webpage, huh?" mused Akimichi Chouji. He then turned towards his best friend who was reading the file with his legs drawn up to his chest, reading the reports lazily with a pen tucked behind his ear. "Shikamaru, can't you hack into their webpage or something to find out who had built that website?"

"I've already tried," said Shikamaru, waving a hand lazily about without looking up from the file that he was reading. "Their security is top notch. I don't have the tools needed to hack into their webpage, and let's say that even if I do, I doubt that even _I_ can hack into their website. That webpage is designed by a genius."

"A website that even _Shikamaru _can't hack in?" whistled Deidara, raising an eyebrow. "That's a first."

Tsunade sighed. "Anyway, keep an eye and ear out for any news regarding Ragnarok, big or small. I want them caught!"

"Hai!"

**

* * *

**_Akatsuki's Office  
__ANBU Headquarters_

"Want them caught, she said," said Kisame with a groan, dropping himself into a couch in the Akatsuki's office-cum-lounge. "It's easier said than done."

Konan who was pouring herself some coffee from the coffee dispenser walked towards her boyfriend, Nagato, who was currently reading a stack of files behind his desk, and handed him a cup of black coffee which he received with a grateful nod. "While I can't deny that we have to pin Ragnarok down, I think that they're doing the right thing in a way as well, and have this country's best wishes at heart," she said, heading back to her own desk. "While their methods are a little brutal, I think that they're also protecting this country in a way as well. Haven't you noticed? Crime rates had dropped drastically ever since Ragnarok had made their appearance."

Everyone nodded dumbly.

Itachi sighed. "It's as if we did not have enough to do, with Oto and Ne still out there," he said with a groan.

"Well, at least Ragnarok's appearance had caused Orochimaru to go into hiding for a while," said Sasori reasonably. "And that's—"

"—not good for us." Itachi cut in, interrupting whatever Sasori had to say. Seeing his teammates' looks on him, he sighed before proceeding to explain. "Think about it. We've been after Orochimaru for kami-knows-how-long, and Ragnarok's appearance had driven him into hiding. They're after that cowardly snake for some odd reason, and they won't stop until he's dead. We're no closer to catching him than catching Ragnarok, and who knows when that will be."

"Now that you mention it…" frowned Sasori, shutting the file that he was reading with a light clap. "The human experimentation case from four years back…it caused a great deal of fuss back then, and when Orochimaru miraculously got off, there was almost a riot in Japan! I thought for sure that there's going to be another civil war."

His teammates nodded. They remembered that they were practically working overtime every single night just to curb the riots back then when word had gotten out that Orochimaru had somehow got off until mysterious deaths had started happening all over the country, with the victims being Orochimaru's assistants, and known accomplices in that case, with Ragnarok's calling card being found at the scene every single time.

And that's when Ragnarok was starting to get famous around the country. In fact, a cryptic message was found carved on the bodies of the victims every single time, practically spelling out a message that Ragnarok was after Orochimaru. As expected, the snake got frightened and disappeared from Japan, and hadn't been seen since.

Itachi sighed as he looked out of his window just as a flash of lightning flashed across the night sky.

"Seems like a storm's coming," he muttered.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Somewhere else in Leaf City, docked at the river harbours where rain was started to pour down heavily was docked a rather large boathouse which was in colours of blue and white and which was three storeys high, equipped with high speed motors.

And that very boathouse was the very headquarters of Ragnarok.

Namikaze Shiki was curled up on the couch of the first storey of the boathouse like a cat, reading some novel whilst ignoring the world around her.

Not far from her, Aburame Shino, Ragnarok's computer genius was in front of his laptop on the first storey of the boathouse as the screams from Kankuro as his sister bashed him up as Temari caught Kankuro reading his…literature again sounded throughout the boathouse.

Gaara and Neji who were both outside the room that Kankuro and Temari were in were both snickering lightly. Yugito and Tenten were playing a game of chess with Haku watching on with interest whilst Hinata was reading a book on medical herbs as she, along with Yugito and Haku were Ragnarok's medics of sorts.

Such is a typical day in Ragnarok's life.

In fact, the ten teens have all came a long way from the ragged, cold and sullen kids that they are before who is prone to killing anyone who so much as looked at them wrong to the cheerful teens that they are now, though they won't hesitate to kill or maim anyone who threatens them…or worse, their captain who is their 'saviour' of sorts.

There was a beep just then as Shino frowned and switched to the program which he used to access Ragnarok's webpage, and there was another beep as the message 'You have one new message' flashed across the screen, with the icon of a mailbox appearing on it. Shiki looked up from her novel at the beep and sighed, closing her novel with a light clap, knowing that she has to finish her book at a later date as she went over to Shino, looking over his shoulder at the computer screen.

"We've got a case," said Shino, resting his chin on his left upturned palm as his right hand clicked on the mouse to access the message.

"Who is it?"

"The client is one Tokisha Maya," said Shino, reading the message quickly. "And she wants us to take out this guy – Nakashita Toriya." A photo of the person whom they were requested to take out came up on the screen as Shino accessed an information database on the computer which he'd created himself.

Shiki frowned, studying the photo of the guy carefully. "He looks familiar."

Shino nodded. "He would be," he said grimly. "He was on the news a few years back when there was a raid on one of the Sound's bases by the ANBU. Nakashita was one of Orochimaru's researchers and scientists, and he was charged under international medical law for inhumane experiments. But there wasn't enough evidence and he got off."

Shiki frowned. "The human experimenting case from four years ago?" she stated more than asked, and Shino nodded. She sighed. "I should have known." She muttered before looking back at the screen. "And the client's reason?"

Shino sighed. "Her sister was one of the victims in Nakashita's sick experiments, and she died as a result," he said. "Maya investigated for four years…trying to find out who her sister's murderer is, and she finally found out. But because she couldn't get her revenge through the legal way, she turned to us."

"Well, we all know who Nakashita is, and even if this Maya didn't ask this of us, we would have done it anyway. Nakashita has to pay for what he's done." Shiki smirked slightly. "Send the usual, Shino. We got a job to do."

Shino nodded before Shiki went up the stairs of the boathouse, calling to her comrades. "Hey, cut it out, all of you! We got a job!"

Meanwhile, Shino typed out a message on his laptop and clicked the 'send' button.

**

* * *

**Several miles away, Tokisha Maya's cellphone beeped with the message tone and the teenage girl picked it up and flipped it opened to see the message:

'_Your request has been received and will be carried out soon. _

_Ragnarok.'_

Maya smiled softly to herself as she flipped her phone shut and looked at the picture of her sister. "Your death will soon be avenged, Miya," she said to the picture. "Rest in peace."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_The Next Day  
__Hiraiko_

It was near dusk and the sun was nearly setting as Shiki walked through the streets of Hirako. As usual, she had sent a few members of Ragnarok to investigate their latest case. It was part of their procedure that the moment they've received a new case, only a few members will be on it, with Shino doing the information part of it. Neji and Gaara are now tracing Nakashita Toriya down, and Shino was helping them.

They have docked their boathouse at Hirako as the other girls were off getting some supplies for the boathouse as they were all running low on food supplies as well as medicines and first aid supplies, as one or the other would always wind up injured every other week.

Shiki was deep in thought as she walked down the streets. Hirako had improved drastically compared to a few years back, looking more like a town which people lived and worked in, but still…

Shiki stopped outside a bookstore as she looked in the display glass, looking at her reflection in it, not really seeing the books on display. Her hands clenched into fists by her sides. _'How much longer? How much longer must the nin-users suffer? No matter how much we do… Is it pointless?'_

"…Shiki?"

Shiki blinked and turned to see a handsome ebony haired young man standing behind her, a slight smirk on his lips, and Shiki smiled a little to see her friend, though that smile was gone so quickly that anyone would have assumed that it's a trick of the light.

"…Itachi."

**

* * *

**Shiki and Itachi walked in silence down the streets of Hirako as the night lights of Hirako were turned on, creating a beautiful picture. Despite their rather…unsavoury meeting the second time that they've met, Shiki had finally given into Itachi's persistence, and the two had somehow formed a close friendship, and somehow managed to meet each other every week or so, whether coincidentally or whenever one of them asked the other out.

Shiki had obviously kept her relationship with the Akatsuki's captain quiet from her friends as there's no telling what their reactions will be, though she had a faint suspicion that Neji and Gaara knew, and maybe Shino, as those three are the most observant of the lot, and could be considered her best friends.

"Work keeping you busy?" asked Shiki at last, breaking the silence, and Itachi looked at her.

"Kind of," he admitted. "Ragnarok has been more active of late, and I'm practically up to my neck in work. You can hardly find any of the Akatsuki or Rendoku in the ANBU headquarters for the past six months or so as we're all getting run ragged, trying to find any information that we can on Ragnarok."

Shiki was silent for a while. "Why are the ANBU after them?" she asked at last. "I don't think that what they're doing is all that wrong. At the very least, the nin-users in Japan knew that Ragnarok will protect them."

Itachi sighed. "Well, personally, I think that what they're doing isn't exactly wrong as well," he said hesitantly. "But still, murder is murder, no matter the reasons."

Shiki didn't say anything, and Itachi decided to change the subject, sensing the rather tense atmosphere in the air. The sounds of a guitar playing sounded through the air just then, and the two looked in several different directions at once before noticing a man who seemed to be in his late thirties playing a guitar, dressed in rather worn clothes, singing along to the song. A rather small number of ryou coins was gathered in the box before him, and Itachi glanced at Shiki who was looking at the man, and smiled, an idea in his head on how to cheer his friend up who looked rather sad that day.

"Wait here," said Itachi, and Shiki blinked as Itachi went towards the man playing the guitar and exchanged a few words with him before the man smiled and nodded and handed the guitar over to Itachi who gestured for Shiki to come over which she did, wondering what Itachi was doing.

"Would you like to hear me play?" asked Itachi, and Shiki blinked in confusion.

"Can you even play the guitar?" she asked, and Itachi smirked.

"I hadn't played for a long time now, let's see if I'm out of practice," said Itachi with a smirk before his fingers strummed over the guitar strings, playing one of Shiki's favourite songs which he'd heard Shiki singing once, and he began to sing to it, and Shiki blinked as the guy got a damn good voice! He could probably be a singer or something should he ever decide to leave the ANBU.

"_Juuroku de kimi to ai  
__Hyakunen no koi wo shita ne  
__Hirahira to maiochiru  
__Sakura no hanabira no shita de _

_Aitakute kakenuketa  
__Hi no ataru kyuu na sakamichi ya  
__Kouen no sumi futari no kage wa  
__Ima mo kawaranu mama"_

The crowd gathering around was getting larger by then as Itachi's playing and singing captivated them, and Shiki can't help smiling at this, and the guy who originally had the guitar can't help snickering at this sight.

"_Kimi to boku to 'sakura biyori'  
__Kaze ni yurete maimodoru  
__Marude nagai yume kara sameta you ni  
__Miageta saki wa momo-iro no sora _

_Suki deshita suki deshita  
__Egao sakisometa kimi ga  
__Boku dake ga shitte ita  
__Migigawa yawarakana ibasho _

_Sakura no shita no yakusoku  
_'_Rainen mo koko ni koyou' tte  
__Hando mo tashikameatta kedo  
__Ima mo hatasenu mama_

_Kimi to boku to 'sakura biyori'  
__Kaze ni sotto yomigaeru  
__Kimi mo ima dokoka de miteru no kanaa  
__Ano hi to onaji momo-iro no sora _

_Oikaketa hibi no naka ni  
__Kizamareta ashiato wa  
__Nani yori mo kakegae no nai takaramono _

Shiki looked in Itachi's eyes as she can't help smiling a little as the Uchiha looked at her as he played the guitar, singing along to it, a slight smirk on his lips. Somehow…she felt as if Itachi played this song for _her._

_Kimi to boku to 'sakura biyori'  
__Kaze ni yurete maimodoru  
__Tomedonai omoi ga afuredashite  
__Namida ga komiageta _

_Kimi to boku to 'sakura biyori'  
__Kaze ni yurete maimodoru  
__Mada minu mirai wo mune ni daite  
__Miageta saki wa momo-iro no sora"_

There was a round of extremely loud applause as Itachi ended the song and handed the guitar back to the owner before he made his way back to Shiki. "Cheered up some?" he asked with a smirk as he led Shiki away from the crowd.

"You don't have to do that for me," she said. "And you played the guitar quite well, and you have quite a good voice as well. If you ever decide to leave the ANBU, you can be a singer."

"I wanted to be a musician when I was little," said Itachi as they walked along the shores of the sea. "My mother was a pianist, and she often sang to me and my little brother when we were little. I started playing the guitar about a year or two before my parents died, and after that, I sometimes played the guitar so that Sasuke can sleep without nightmares. After I've joined the ANBU, I've hardly played the guitar."

"That's a pity," said Shiki, a smile tilting her lips. "You're a good player, and an even better singer. I'd like to hear you play the guitar again someday."

Itachi smiled and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Maybe next time I will take my guitar out with me."

Shiki nearly tripped over a loose tree branch on the sand just then, only to have her arm caught by Itachi to prevent her from falling, and she turned towards the Uchiha only to find herself looking straight into his onyx eyes which are mesmerising her.

Shiki can't bring herself to tear her eyes away from Itachi, and didn't even realise Itachi leaning forwards towards her, bringing their faces closer to each other before their lips were about an inch away from touching each other…

"_Sparkling angel I believed__…you were my saviour in my time of need…"_

Both Itachi and Shiki sprang back from each other just as Itachi's cellphone rang, and the Uchiha immediately pulled out his cellphone from his pocket and answered it. "What?" he asked irritably. He paused for a few moments as he listened to whatever the person on the other end of the line has to say before frowning. "Fine. I'll be right back."

"Work?" asked Shiki sympathetically as Itachi slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Itachi sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately," he said. "I'll see you another day, alright?"

Shiki smiled and nodded before Itachi left the seaside and kicked up some sand with her shoe, wondering what she was about to do back then. She knew very well of her own position. She _can't _be with Itachi…no matter what!

But…

"_Kiss me sweet__…I'm sleeping in silence…all alone…in ice and snow…"_

Shiki gave a start as her cellphone rang and began vibrating in her pocket before she pulled out her phone and answered it. "What?"

The caller on the other end of the line was Gaara. _"Shiki? It's me. We've found Nakashita. He's in Nariya. Come back immediately."_

Shiki frowned. "Gotcha." _Click._

"You're pretty busy, aren't you?"

Shiki turned sharply at the sound of that voice only to see a certain silver-haired teen that she was quite well acquainted with, and her eye twitched. She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Kabuto," she hissed.

Yakushi Kabuto, one of the top cards of the Oto organisation and Orochimaru's second-in-command smirked at Shiki, giving a slight wave. "Yo. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"You sure got a lot of nerve showing up here," said Shiki dangerously. "Especially after what you've done four years ago!"

"Four years ago? Oh. You must mean the human experimentation case," said Kabuto without a care in the world. "What about that? It's a pity about all those people, really. But sacrifices are needed for the greater good."

Shiki had to use every bit of her willpower to stop herself from attacking Kabuto. For one thing, she knew that the ANBU or the police will investigate if she used her powers in Hirako, and for another, she doesn't want any attention in Hirako as it's the one place where Ragnarok can hide without any fear of the ANBU after them.

"Judging by the fact that you're here…" said Shiki slowly. "Is Orochimaru back in Japan?"

"Saa," said Kabuto with a smirk. "But that guy…he's the captain of the Akatsuki, isn't he?" Shiki narrowed her eyes dangerously. "He didn't know about you, does he?" Kabuto smirked. "I wonder what he will do if he knew who you are…"

Shiki snapped.

"KABUTO!!"

There was a gust of wind, and Kabuto blinked as Shiki was gone from his sight, and in that moment that it took him to blink, he immediately felt a blade being placed at his neck, and Shiki's voice hissed in his ear, sounding quite venomous right now.

"You so much as _breathe _a word to him, and I'll show you no mercy," she hissed. "You want to have a taste of what Ragnarok is capable of? Or do you want Haku to know that you're back in Japan? That girl won't let you off that easily. Not after what you've done to Isaribi four years ago! You know that."

Kabuto growled low in his throat before slipping a dagger from his sleeve into his hand and taking a swipe at Shiki who dodged and back-flipped backwards a few steps, staring at him with a cool expression.

"You think that you can stop me?" Kabuto hissed.

"I know that I can," said Shiki dangerously. "Don't forget that you're just as wanted by the ANBU as we are. You can't go to the ANBU. The only difference between us is that the ANBU know your face, but they don't know _ours." _She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Make one wrong move, and I'll kill you. Or my name isn't Namikaze Shiki!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Three Hours Later  
__Nariya_

Two of Ragnarok's agents – Hinata and Temari – found Nakashita Toriya walking out of a bar in Nariya – a town not too far away from Leaf City and lured him to a back alley before said man was wrapped up in a sand cocoon – courtesy of Gaara's sand nin-ability.

"Is this him?" asked Neji, glancing at Toriya who was struggling to scream, but couldn't because of the sand wrapped around his mouth to prevent him from yelling.

"Yeah."

"Very well," said Shiki, still remaining in the darkness of the alley and looking at Toriya before her eyes seemed to glow ruby red for a moment before changing back to sapphire blue. "Neji, the barrier."

Neji nodded before the area around them glowed silver for a moment before fading, and Gaara released the hold of the sand around Nakashita and stepped back a few steps. Said man was looking extremely furious at the Ragnarok agents that he can see.

"How dare you do this to me?!" he yelled. "Who do you brats think you are?! Do you even know who I am?!"

"Oh, we know who you are," said Tenten grimly, running her fingers along the blade of her dagger without drawing blood. "We investigate all our jobs – clients, the targets and the mission parameters before accepting. Do you think that we won't know who you are and what you did four years ago?"

"Nakashita Toriya," said Shino in his usual monotone voice. "Arrested and charged under international medical law, section sixteen and paragraph fifty-seven, under the charge of performing illegal and inhumane experiments on a fellow human being four years ago. Six victims died and sixteen became something that couldn't even be called human, and each of those sixteen begged for death as it's better than living with what they'd become." He glared at Toriya beneath his glasses. "Is that enough? We know who you are and what you'd done four years ago."

"What? I did nothing wrong!" yelled Toriya, a crazed look coming into his eyes. "Those _people _should feel honoured to have the chance to assist Orochimaru-sama into the era of a new Japan where nin-abilities was something that everyone can have!"

Yugito smirked. "You heard that, Captain?"

Toriya turned towards the darkness of the alley as the leader of Ragnarok stepped out of the darkness, dressed in a plain black T-shirt with a denim blue jacket over it with a pair of jeans and blue and white sneakers.

"Yugito," said Shiki, her eyes never leaving Toriya, flashing ruby red occasionally. "Please open the portal."

"Roger that."

Yugito waved her hand and a large black portal opened up beneath everyone present before it swallowed them up, teleporting them to kami-knows-where.

**

* * *

**_Hellish Nightmare Dimension_

"W-What is this place?" wondered Toriya as he looked around him at the pitch black darkness that surrounded him with what seemed almost like cracks of lava below his feet…almost like he's in a volcano of some sort. "Oi! Where is this?! Where have you taken me to?!"

There was suddenly a tug on his body, and the next moment, Toriya found himself lying on what seemed to be an operating table, being strapped down, and overhead lights – the type that one can usually find in operating rooms in the hospitals shining down on him.

Suddenly, four of the teens that he saw earlier stepped out – two of them being the ones who had lured him to the back alley in the first place – each dressed in what was more suitable for a hospital or a laboratory of some sort as they were in green surgical outfits, complete with the face masks and surgical hats. One of them – a blue haired female with strange eyes had on a white lab coat and all four of them were smirking at him evilly.

"Where is this?!" demanded Toriya. "Let me go!"

"This is Yugito's power," said a voice somewhere to the left and Toriya turned his head with great difficulty to see the redhead who had wrapped him up in that sand cocoon earlier who seemed to be standing in the air, his arms folded across his chest. "And what we call the Hellish Nightmare Dimension. A punishment fitting you bastards who had escaped the hands of the law and who think that you can do what you did and escaped unscathed. Too bad for you. Ragnarok is here to stop that."

"R-Ragnarok…?" whispered Toriya.

He knew that he's in deep shit now.

The lights over Toriya were snapped on and the raven-haired male with the strange eyes smirked as he looked down at the frightened Toriya. "Doctor, do we need anaesthetic?"

Hyuuga Hinata smirked. "We don't need such a thing."

"So true," said Temari with an evil grin as she took up a cruel-looking dagger. "After all, he had no problem doing this to his 'patients', we can at least reward him to the same treatment that he did to his 'patients'."

"How kind of you, 'Doctor' Temari," said Tenten with a smirk, taking up a drill.

"Well then…" said Hyuuga Hinata with a smirk, taking up a scalpel. "Let the operation begin."

The screams of Nakashita Toriya can then be heard for hours as it echoed all throughout the dimension that they were in which is Nii Yugito's power.

**

* * *

**Somewhere in the distance in the Hellish Nightmare Dimension, Kankuro, Shino, Yugito as well as Gaara and Shiki watched their four comrades going at their latest victim with drills, scalpels, acid, needles and whatever tools that they can think of.

Shiki was standing as she folded her arms across her chest as she watched the proceedings with a rather critical eye. Yugito and Gaara – her best friends were on either side of her whilst the others were all standing behind or around her.

Kankuro whistled. "They're really going at it," he said.

"While his victims may have been unconscious when he performed the experiments on them, that doesn't mean that they didn't feel it," said Shiki grimly. "What we're doing now is only a slight fraction of what his victims had gone through."

There was a loud yell, and Yugito looked up at the sky where a red crimson moon hung overhead.

"Time's up," she said. "We're going back."

**

* * *

**Back in the real world, Nakashita Toriya breathed and panted heavily as he was nailed by his hands to a wooden stake somewhere in the woods, and chained to the stake. Most of the flesh on his body was gone, exposing the white rib bones, and he was missing three fingers on his right hand as well as most of his nails on his left hand. He was in too much pain to even yell for help, much less escape.

"Who…are you?" whispered Toriya as the group of teens turned to leave.

"We're Ragnarok," said the one who seemed to be the leader, turning around to face him. "I'm Ragnarok's leader, also known to the world as 'Twila." She then flipped a card to the part of the wooden stake above his head and pinned it there with a senbon needle that the girl with the buns shot.

The group of teens then smirked before disappearing in a whirl of wind, but not before Toriya heard what the leader said, "Justice has been served."

* * *

_A/N: The song featured in this chapter is Sakura Biyori by Mai Hoshimura. It's one of the ending themes of Bleach, and I kind of liked that song as it's one of my favourite ones, and thus, used it in this chapter. Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

_**Preview for next chapter:**_

"_What is your name?"_

"_Tojirama Yuki."_

"_Do you hate them?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because of them, my younger siblings are__…they are… It isn't their fault! They've done nothing wrong!"_

"_What is your wish?"_

"_Please__…take those two…straight down to the pits of Hell!"_

"_I hear and deliver this vengeance."_


	7. A Sister's Plea

Sorry for the late update! And just a small note: I've changed Shiki's codename to Twila as I find that it suits her more. Also, regarding the various towns and cities in this story, I think several readers found it a little confusing, and thus, I'm going to list it here:

Hiraiko: The town where Iruka's cafe is located, and also where Shiki had first met Gaara and his siblings

Hagako: Shiki's hometown where she'd met Hinata and Neji

Hakawa: The place where Shiki and the others have met Yugito

Nakawa: The place where Shiki and the others have met Shino

Araiko: Tenten's hometown

**Disclaimer:** Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Seven: A Sister's Plea**

_ANBU Headquarters  
__Leaf City_

The heads of Nagato and Konan of team Akatsuki in ANBU were crowded around a newspaper spread opened on the coffee table in a corner of Akatsuki's office where couches were set around – serving as a relaxation spot for the ANBU members in team Akatsuki to de-stress themselves.

The other members of the Akatsuki were all crowded around that morning's paper as well, save for Kisame and Itachi who were both currently not around, and this was the scene which one Hoshigaki Kisame walked in on, a piece of toast in his mouth with a cup of piping hot coffee in one hand.

"What're you up to?" Kisame mumbled through his toast. "And where's Itachi?"

"Huh?" Konan looked up. "Oh. Morning, Kisame. Itachi was summoned to the commander's office early this morning. And take a look at this. There's been another body found…this time by Sasuke's team."

Kisame frowned before heading over to his teammates and looked at the morning paper that they were looking at. There were quite a few newspapers on the table – all from the different newspapers in Japan. The most prominent one was the Konoha Daily which was Leaf City's main newspaper.

The headlines of the newspapers 'Ragnarok Strikes Again!' and 'Is it Twila's work?' were just some of the headlines of the newspapers currently on the table.

Kisame sighed. "Who's the victim this time around?"

"Sasuke had just sent the report over, along with the coroner's report," said Sasori, thrusting a file into Kisame's chest. "Apparently, Tsunade-sama wanted _both_ Akatsuki and Rendoku to work together to capture Ragnarok. And _both_ our captains are currently being yelled at by Tsunade-sama."

Kisame blinked. "Why?"

"The victim this time around is a Nakashita Toriya," said Konan. "He was one of Orochimaru's assistants in his sick experiments about four years back, and ANBU had been searching for him. Tsunade-sama had just received some leads on his whereabouts a week back and was about to issue a search and arrest warrant for him when Ragnarok claimed the goods on him, so as to speak."

Sasori sighed. "This also explains Itachi and Sasuke's presences currently in Tsunade-sama's office."

Kisame sighed before looking out of the window. "I sense dark clouds in the sky today…" he mumbled.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Two Days Later  
__Nariya_

"Suspicious characters?" Some random shop owner blinked owlishly at Uchiha Itachi. "What suspicious characters?"

Itachi sighed. "I'm Uchiha Itachi of ANBU," he said, flashing his identification pass. "I'm here to investigate the death of Nakashita Toriya."

"Nakashita?" The shop owner blinked before an ugly scowl showed on his face. "What do you want to know about that bastard? If truth be told, he deserved to die!"

Itachi blinked. "I mean no offence to you, sir, but don't you think that the way he was killed was a little…brutal?"

"Not at all," snorted the shop owner. "He deserved to die like that for the sins that he'd committed four years ago!"

"Can you tell me what you know about Nakashita?"

"Sure," said the shop owner. "I'll get my daughter to watch the shop for me. Mika! Watch the shop for me for a moment, will you?"

"Hai!"

A girl around eighteen in a dark blue kimono ran out from the back of the shop before the shop owner led Itachi to the back of the shop where there was a small table set against the wall, complete with a sewing machine and several fabrics scattered all over the table. A photo frame of four people – the shop owner, the girl from before and another two girls were all smiling at the camera.

"This is your family?" asked Itachi softly, his eyes going gentle as he laid eyes on what seemed to be a happy family. He had one once, before circumstances had snatched both himself and his brother away from what seemed to be a happy family.

"Yeah," said the shop owner with a nod, picking up the photo frame and tracing the faces of one of the girls in the photo. "I have three daughters. Mika is the eldest and will soon be going to college. Her younger sisters – Maya and Miya, on the other hand…"

He trailed off, and Itachi could tell that he's crying and suddenly felt bad for forcing the shop owner to tell him something that seemed to be so painful for him. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," he said hastily.

"No, it's alright," said the shop owner, wiping his tears away. "My wife died when my youngest, Miya is born. Complications arouse in childbirth and my wife passed away…but not before Miya is born. Things were hard for us when my girls were little. Mika was about six when my wife died and Maya was about two. Times were hard, but we managed. About four years ago, when my Miya is ten years old, she suddenly vanished."

"Vanished?"

The shop owner nodded. "She was kidnapped." He nearly growled. "We don't know what it's for back then as we weren't that well-off and even had trouble trying to feed ourselves. We didn't know then that various kids and teenagers were being kidnapped left, right and center. I reported it to the ANBU then as there wasn't anything that I could do. And then…nearly six months after that…the ANBU found Miya."

"Found her?"

The shop owner nodded. "But she was barely recognisable!" The voice of the man was full of hatred. "She was experimented on and…and…and became some humanoid fish hybrid! That _bastard _Nakashita was the one that did this to my baby!"

Itachi's eyes widened in horror.

"Later, I found out that Nakashita was a dog of Orochimaru's and that Miya wasn't the only one involved in his sick experiments. But by the time the ANBU had found her, it was already too late. Miya died, and not long after that, Maya vanished. When the newspapers reported two days ago that Nakashita was killed by Twila and Ragnarok, I was happy. He deserved to die for what he did."

Itachi was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Do you believe that what Ragnarok and Twila are doing now is right?"

"Yes," said the shop owner without hesitation. "You are an ANBU agent. Even you knew that not all criminals are caught and punished by the law – Nakashita is one such person. For all the investigating that you did, Nakashita still got off scot-free because 'there was not enough evidence'!" The shop owner banged his fist on the table, tears leaking out from the corner of his eyes. "I hated those men…Nakashita and Orochimaru both. They killed my daughter and took both Maya and Miya away from me! They tore my family apart! My three girls were all that I have, and they destroyed that! I don't know who contacted Ragnarok to hire them to take out Nakashita, but I'm glad that they did. That man deserved death."

The shop owner then got into a coughing fit, and Itachi got up from his seat, one arm supporting the shop owner. "Sir? Are you alright? Sir?"

"Dad?" His daughter, Mika came into the back just then only to see her father coughing. "Are you alright?" The girl turned towards Itachi. "Can you help me get him into his bed?"

Itachi nodded and between the two of them, they managed to get the shop owner into his bed where he slumbered peacefully now when Mika gave the shop owner his medicine.

"You shouldn't have mentioned both my younger sisters," said Mika grimly as Itachi conversed with her over the cashier counter as she sewed a light green kimono together. "It's a taboo topic for my father."

"What happened really? Four years ago…"

Mika's eyes darkened. "My youngest sister was kidnapped by…_that man _four years ago," said Mika, an angry tone coming into her voice, her hands clenching into fists on the counter. "Nakashita Toriya. The body of the man found in the woods south of Nariya two days ago. I've heard that it's Ragnarok's work and I'm not surprised."

"Why?"

There was silence for a moment before Mika spoke again. "Four years ago…when Miya died, Maya vanished. She merely told me that she's going to get justice done for Miya's sake…one way or another. Maya was only twelve then, but I know my sister. Once she said that she's going to get something done, she'll do it. My guess is she must be investigating the cause behind Miya's death as my father never let her know as she was too young back then." Mika smiled grimly. "Maya must be the one who had contacted Ragnarok."

"But why didn't she come to ANBU if she found evidence concerning her sister's murder?" asked Itachi, curious.

"It's of no use," said Mika, shaking her head. "You and I both know that. Nakashita is a scientist and it's been all over the papers four years ago when he was arrested. He had connections in high places as that man – Orochimaru – is a highly influential scientist and doctor within the political circle with many friends in high places, and even if Maya did go to the ANBU with the evidence that she had, it won't be of any use. Nakashita will get off again. Maya isn't stupid. She knew this, and that's why she went to Ragnarok. I don't know what their price is for requesting their services, but whatever it is…it can't be worse than what we've been going through ever since Miya died."

"You don't think that Ragnarok is doing the wrong thing?" asked Itachi and Mika shook her head.

"I think that they're protecting us in their own way as well," said Mika. "And I'm grateful to them for avenging my sister for me. Maybe Mika can then rest in peace. I only hope that what they'd put Nakashita through is painful for him."

"Have you seen anyone or anything suspicious before Nakashita's death?" asked Itachi, changing the topic.

"Not really," said Mika before she frowned. "Wait a moment…there was a boathouse docked at the river harbour on the night of Nakashita's death."

Itachi blinked. "A boathouse?"

"Yeah," said Mika, nodding her head. "I usually walked past the harbours of the river as the fabric supplier lived by the river. I remembered seeing a relatively large blue and white boathouse docked by the river. Boathouses hardly come down to Nariya as we aren't a trading town."

"Do you know the name of the boathouse and who's the owner of it?"

Mika frowned and shook her head. "Sorry. No."

Itachi sighed. "Thank you for your help," he said with a bow and left the shop. _'A boathouse, huh? That's a small clue, but it's better than nothing.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye  
__Hiraiko_

A bell tinkled somewhere in the shop as Shiki pushed opened the door of Cat's Eye, and Iruka looked up from his usual every day task of cleaning and wiping the dishes and glasses. Iruka smiled as he saw Shiki.

"Hey Shiki," he said. "Sasame and Arashi both aren't here today. Seems like they're still out on that last job that you've sent them on."

Shiki nodded.

Fuuma Sasame and Fuuma Arashi are siblings, and were orphaned during the last war before becoming information specialists and bounty hunters just to survive. Shiki had met them by accident approximately two years ago when an information broker which she's on fairly good terms with had referred her to those two when she was searching for some reliable bounty hunters and information specialists willing to go on long term missions and were skilled enough to not get themselves killed.

Her first meeting with Sasame and Arashi went something like this:

Shiki: "You act like I _want _to be here! I do not know what cruel deity above me has made it so that we even met in the first place, and why Gin even recommended you two, but he said that you're the best in your line, and that's the reason why I'm even here!"

Sasame: "You bet that we are! Me and my brother are the best that could be, and you're be hard pressed to find another one who are even half as good as we are! And if you want my respect, you're just going to have to earn it!"

And that was the start of their beautiful friendship.

Fortunately, things have gotten better for Sasame and Shiki as time passed, and when the two girls have gotten to know each other better. Shiki knew that she could trust the two siblings, and the Fuuma siblings were just among the few in the circle which included Iruka, Shizune and their circle of friends along with the few survivors of Shiki's old gang who knew the identities of the members of Ragnarok.

"Tell them to drop me a call or a mail once they've returned," said Shiki. "We don't have any requests so far, and we might be staying here for some time as Gaara and Neji are both hunting down some criminal."

In order to get some income coming their way, the members of Ragnarok usually did some bounty hunting jobs for high profile criminals which bounty on their heads is enough for the entire group to live off for six months.

"It's alright with me, but…you've gotten your computer fixed already?" asked Iruka, blinking, and Shiki smiled before showing Iruka the portable computer tucked under one arm.

"I've just gotten it back," said Shiki. "I may not be as computer savvy as Shino, but I'm good enough with computers to at least find some information without relying heavily on my network and Shino's information. This can at least lessen his burden a little whenever we have a request."

"I see…" said Iruka with a smile. "Well, Sasame and Arashi don't seem to be heading back anytime soon, so why don't you return at a later time?"

Shiki nodded before leaving the shop.

**

* * *

**_Ragnarok's Headquarters (boathouse)  
__Hiraiko _

"Everyone's not back yet, Shiki," said Shino without even turning around from his usual place before his computer in a corner of the first storey of the boathouse when Shiki entered. "With any luck, Gaara and Neji should be dragging their prey to the nearest bounty station to collect their reward money, and the girls are currently in town. Kankuro is taking a short nap in his room."

"Okay," said Shiki with a nod before curling up on the couch on the first storey of the boathouse before turning on her recently repaired computer. She had been hearing news of some internet chat forum on the internet which visitors seemed mostly made up of people who are supporters of Ragnarok and was curious to see what they would say.

Shiki clicked on the first link of the internet search engine that popped up the moment she'd typed in the keywords for her search, and the page immediately loaded to a black screen with flames decorating the bottom of the screen which flickered every now and then, and the title of this particular chat forum seemed to be in the design of flames as well which spelt out: 'Midnight Sun – Your Place to Go to if You are a Fan and Supporter of Ragnarok.'

**

* * *

**_ANBU Headquarters  
__Leaf City_

In the office of team Akatsuki, Itachi was surfing through one of the many internet chat forums out there who chatted about nothing but Ragnarok, hoping that he can at least find some clue about that group in here.

The title of the homepage was 'Midnight Sun'.

**

* * *

**Shiki was still on the computer when the others returned. There were lots of things being discussed on the forum. There were a few anonymous visitors who think that Ragnarok are nothing but murderers, but practically everyone who came here feels that what Ragnarok is doing is the right thing as well, and protecting them in a way.

Shiki then went to the online chat room in this homepage, using the handle name of 'Aurora' before looking through the ridiculously long list of people in the online chat room before one name simply jumped out at her: RedEye001.

**

* * *

**Itachi was ready to rip his hair out in frustration. He'd spent nearly six hours on this particular homepage, and he had found _nothing _at all! But still, he had came across some rather interesting messages from a few visitors on the forum who'd written a rather long message, thanking Ragnarok for their help, and Itachi guessed that they must have hired Ragnarok in the past.

Even Itachi himself was starting to have doubts regarding Ragnarok.

Are they really that bad?

_I don't think that what they're doing is all that wrong._

Shiki's words from the last time that she'd met him resounded through his head.

And just as Itachi was about to log out of this particular homepage, there was a slight 'ding' which indicates that someone wanted to chat online with him, and he blinked. He'd been chatting online for hours with countless people, careful not to give away his purpose in trying to know more about Ragnarok, but those that he'd been chatting with had nothing but good to say about them, and practically worshipped them.

Honestly!

Itachi was starting to get a little tired of hearing how good Ragnarok is over and over as well.

And this new person who wished to chat with him goes by the handle name of 'Aurora'.

**

* * *

**_Aurora: Hi. Care for a chat?_

_RedEye001: Sure. I'm getting bored anyway. Every single person whom I'd chatted to so far talks about nothing but Ragnarok._

_Aurora: Hahaha. Why did you come to Midnight Sun then if you don't want to hear about them?_

_RedEye001: No reason. Just curious, I suppose. But seriously, what do you think of Ragnarok?_

_Aurora: What I think? Well. Nothing much, I guess. But this is what I think: I don't think that what they're doing is all that wrong._

Back at ANBU headquarters, Itachi blinked as Aurora's words seemed oddly familiar…

_RedEye001: You don't think that they're evil?_

_Aurora: Good and bad are just definitions of mankind. The laws were created and passed by humans. Who is to say what is good and what is bad? This is what I think: everyone has the right to choose the life that they led. As long as they believed in a particular path and continued walking on it, then they're not doing anything wrong._

_RedEye001: __…_

_Aurora: ??_

_RedEye001: Nothing. At least you didn't outright say that Ragnarok is the epitome of justice like nearly every single person whom I'd chatted with so far. You're…interesting._

_Aurora: You think so?_

"Shiki!"

Shiki looked up from her computer only to see Shino sitting upright in his chair as he typed away before his computer. She didn't even realise it, but it's already dark, and Haku and Temari have turned on the lights of the boathouse whilst Hinata was making dinner. Most of the other members were currently in their own rooms.

"What is it?" asked Shiki.

"We've got a request," replied Shino, typing away on his computer, and Shiki frowned. A request? This late at night? "It's from a girl named Tojirama Yuki. And her location is at…the town of Towaka."

Shiki sighed before turning back towards her computer.

_Aurora: I'm sorry. But I have to go. I have some work to do._

_RedEye001: It's really too bad. But I guess that it can't be helped. Let's hope that we meet here again sometime._

_Aurora: I sometimes come here, so maybe if we have the chance, we'll meet again._

Shiki turned off her computer and straightened out her cramped legs from sitting too long only to see that Neji and Gaara were both discussing with Shino about their latest client.

"Towaka…" mused Neji, frowning a little. "Isn't that the town that was in the papers a few years back as majority of the town's residents are avid supporters of the Rebellion Group?"

"Yeah," said Shino. "That's what I don't like about the job. And it's the request parameters that are giving me goosebumps."

Shiki raised an eyebrow. Shino is the only one in Ragnarok who doesn't speak much. Hell, even Gaara and Neji speak more than he does. Shiki is about the only one in Ragnarok who he ever held a proper conversation with or even seen his eyes behind those shades that he always wore.

"Mind elaborating?" asked Shiki with a raised brow. It seemed like it's going to be another sleepless night for them again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Six Hours Earlier  
__Towaka_

Tojirama Yuki sighed as she opened the door of her house. "I'm home." She called out, returning home from another day of high school.

Tojirama Yuki was currently in her second year of high school, and unlike most high school students, she don't go out and party all night long, but immersed herself in her studies instead. Her parents never cared about her or her eight-year-old twin siblings anyway, and she wondered for the hundredth time if they even wanted children in the first place.

"Neesan! Neesan!"

Yuki blinked as she looked down to see her younger eight-year-old sister, Yuri clinging at her legs, beaming up at her. Yuki smiled gently before kneeling down to her sister's eye level. "What is it?"

"Come!" Yuri whined, tugging at Yuki's hand. "I want to show you something! Come!"

"Hai hai," said Yuki with a sigh as she allowed Yuri to drag her to the twins' playroom-cum-bedroom where the other twin – Yori – will probably be in.

As expected, her parents aren't in.

Both her parents are active supporters of the Rebellion Group – a group that had existed during the war nearly two decades ago which had long been banned by the ANBU, and most of its members arrested by the ANBU after the war had ended. The Rebellion Group was a group that hated nin-users, seeing them as freaks and abominations of nature and did everything that they could to kill them.

Yuki didn't approve of her parents' thinking as she was fully aware that most of the members of the ANBU were nin-users, and the ANBU protected them. Tokawa – her town – was a town well-known for its hatred against nin-users and there had already been a few cases where the children of certain known residents in the town were killed by a mob formed by the town, much to Yuki's horror.

"What is it that you wanted to show me?" asked Yuki as she was dragged into the twins' room where Yori was sitting down on the floor, a basin of water in front of him.

"This, neesan!" said Yori, looking up at her with a beaming smile as he showed her the water in his hands before the water started to move here and there as if it had a life of its own before forming a glob of some kind.

Yuki paled instantly and dropped her school satchel onto the ground before she slumped to the ground to her knees. She knew that that was immediately.

That was a nin-ability.

Make no mistake, they were in deep shit.

Yuki had no doubts that her parents are most likely to just give her younger siblings to the town if they learned that they were nin-users. Yuki didn't understand why her parents and this town hated nin-users and she didn't want to know.

Yuki turned slowly towards Yuri. "Yuri…can you do the same thing as well?"

Yuri nodded with a beaming smile. "Hai!"

If it's even possible, Yuki paled even further before clasping a hand to her forehead. "Oh my god…" she breathed. "This…can't be happening…"

"What's wrong, neesan?" asked Yuri, tugging at her sister's sleeve. "Aren't you happy that Yori and I can make funny things with the water?"

"Yori. Yuri. Both of you listen to me," said Yuki seriously. "Never _ever _let anyone know or even _see _what you can do with the water! Do you understand?"

"Why?"

"Don't ask why," said Yuki frantically. "Just do as I say."

The twins nodded dumbly as they watched their pale-faced sister stumble out of their room, heading to her bedroom.

**

* * *

**_Four Hours Later  
__Towaka_

Yuri and Yori both sobbed on their sister's bed as Yuki nursed the numerous injuries over the bodies of the twins. Yuki tried to hush them as she tended to their wounds. "Shh!" whispered Yuki. "If Mom and Dad knew that I'd broken you out of the cellar, they'll kill me too! Be quiet for a minute!"

The twins fell silent immediately, though there was still the occasional hiccup from Yuri.

Things couldn't get any worse for the three siblings.

It had all started at dinnertime when Yori, forgetting his sister's warning earlier started to play with the water in his cup, and it was nearly amusing to watch both their parents' faces turned several different colours at once had Yuki not knew what their immediate reactions would be. Yuki had paled considerably as she saw what her baby brother had done and what Yuri had copied immediately like what the little girl always did.

Long story short, the twins were nearly beaten to death by their father who had used his leather belt to whip them black and blue, and it is only by the pleading of Yuki that their parents had merely thrown both twins into the dark cellar without any food and water for the night.

Yuki had waited till past midnight when both her parents were fast asleep before sneaking down to the kitchen and picking the lock of the cellar to get both her younger siblings out of the cellar and to her room. She knew that she couldn't hide the twins in her room for long even if her parents never stepped foot into her room.

"Neesan, why?" Yuri cried, tugging onto Yuki's sleeve. "Why is Daddy and Mummy doing this to us? Is it because we can do funny things with the water? Is that why they're mad at us?"

"It wasn't your fault," said Yuki, hugging her siblings. "It isn't something that you can control."

Yuki sang a lullaby to her siblings before both twins fell asleep before she sat down in the chair before her computer, one hand covering her eyes. She cried softly to herself. Why is it that things have turned out this way?

A sudden idea struck her as she remembered a certain organisation being all over the papers and the Net for the past several months before she turned on her computer, logging onto the internet. She went to her favourite search engine and typed in 'Ragnarok' before hitting the 'enter' button, and nearly immediately, a webpage started loading on her screen before a black screen appeared with flames in the background. A symbol of a sun and a moon with red outlines around it with a lightning bolt down the middle was in the upper right hand corner of the webpage and a message above it which said, 'Ask and we shall deliver. Hands of thunder, deliverers of justice, harbinger of death and revenge.'

Yuki swallowed nervously before typing her plea into the text box in the middle of the screen with her full name in the name column, asking for Ragnarok's help in taking out both her parents. It took her nearly an hour to finish typing in her request before she hit the 'enter' button and sent out her request.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Next Morning  
__Ragnarok_

"Take out her parents?" echoed Tenten, blinking rapidly at Shino at the breakfast table as Haku and Hinata served Ragnarok their breakfast.

Shiki was nowhere to be found, and this wasn't unusual as their captain usually disappeared for hours after they had done a job. Most of the time, she can either be found atop the rooftop of their boathouse or swimming in the river or up on the balcony of the third storey of their boathouse.

"Aa," said Shino with a nod. "Shiki seems to be quite concerned over it."

Neji and Gaara were the ones sent on this particular request this time around, and Shiki had decided to take on this request personally as well which is something that she doesn't usually do. The three have disappeared straight after the request came in the previous night, and no one had seen them ever since.

"A hit on the client's own parents, huh?" mused Yugito. "Anyone would be concerned. Did the client say why?"

"Yeah," said Shino. "Neji had just word back a few hours ago. You know of Towaka's reputation, and their dislike towards nin-users stretched to the extent where parents even willingly killed their own children if they developed nin-abilities all of a sudden. That's the reason behind our client's request. And that is also the reason why Shiki went personally to investigate last night with Neji and Gaara. Our client had two eight-year-old twin siblings. Apparently, they'd only recently developed nin-abilities which lies in water manipulation – much like how Hinata can do with water, only that Hinata's abilities lies in healing. As long as she got water, she can heal."

"Wait a moment," said Kankuro with a frown, putting up one hand. "You're saying that those twins can do things with water similar to what Hinata can do?"

"No. Those twins can manipulate water that I think it can serve as a kind of weapon for them," said Shino. "According to Shiki, Neji and Gaara, and what our client says, their parents belted the twins black and blue the moment they found out, and it's only through our client's involvement that those twins are still alive."

"They won't stay that way for long if their sister don't do something quick," said Temari darkly, and Kankuro nodded grimly. The two of them, along with Gaara, had personal experience with what their client was going through as all three siblings had gone through the same thing as well.

"Killing one's own parents isn't a good thing," mumbled Haku, and everyone looked at her sympathetically. They knew that this particular request reminds Haku of her own past when her own father had tried to kill her when her nin-abilities were developed, and out of fear for her own life, Haku's ice ability had then kicked in and had killed both her parents accidentally.

"Yes, we are fully aware of that, but we really don't have a choice in the matter now," said Yugito irritably. "Either ignore the client's request and two innocent children die, or we take the case and kill both their parents, giving the client and her two siblings a new life."

There was silence before Hinata sighed and turned towards Shino. "What did Shiki say about this?"

Shino shrugged. "She wants to know what you guys think first before deciding."

"I think it's pretty obvious by now that we're going to take the case," drawled Yugito before glancing at Haku and sighing. "Even if we don't like it."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_No! Haku is innocent! She's your __**own **__daughter!"_

"_She is no daughter of mine! She is __**nothing **__but a monster!"_

"_Stop!"_

"_N-No…! __**NO!!!"**_

_BOOM!_

"_Live…on…Haku…"_

**

* * *

**"Haku!"

Haku snapped back to reality as Yugito called her name and blinked before looking through her binoculars into the house of their client. "Sorry."

There was a cackle in the communicators of all the members of Ragnarok currently atop the rooftop of some random building in the town of Tokawa just then – save for Shiki – and Yugito smirked, one hand on her communicator.

"Mission start."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"God damn it!" Yuki cursed and swore every known curse word ever known to mankind as she tried to kick her door down and struggled with the doorknob as she tried to open it, even ramming her shoulder against the door which held sturdily.

She can hear the cries of her younger siblings down the streets of the town as her parents and the villagers tortured them, and she was currently trying to break down her door to get to them. Did Ragnarok even receive her request? Or did Ragnarok not want to take on her request at all?

Yuki was panicking as she rammed her shoulder against her door once more, and was surprised when her door suddenly flew opened and she nearly tumbled onto the floor only to meet the eyes of two teenagers around her age with the strangest eyes that she had ever seen.

"You are?" mused Yuki.

The male raised an eyebrow. "You made a request, didn't you?"

"Then…" stammered Yuki. "You are from Ragnarok!" The two nodded. "Please! Save my siblings!"

"That's what we're here for," said the female. "Come with us. We're going to do our job."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tojirama Saki and Tojirama Tendo smirked to themselves in satisfaction as the cries of the twins echoed through the air. How dare these…these _monsters _have the gall to even call themselves their children?! Yuki was currently locked in her room at their house and currently trying to break her room door down to rescue her siblings.

A group of the townspeople and several of the town's soldiers were chasing down the fleeing twins with pitchforks and any other weapon that they can think of when a boomerang suddenly came flying out of nowhere and hit five soldiers in the face, knocking them out instantly.

Everyone present turned towards the direction where the boomerang had flown to only to see two teens – a redhead male with pale green eyes and a brunette girl with chocolate brown eyes with her hair done up in buns standing atop the roof of some random building. The girl was holding the boomerang in her hand.

"The targets are the village's soldiers, isn't it?" said the girl, and the redhead rolled his eyes with annoyance.

"Baka. Don't say that AFTER you've thrown that boomerang."

A faint mist was starting to gather on the ground of the town, and no one even noticed a column of sand gather the two children up before bringing them to where the redhead and the brunette girl were standing moments prior before the four disappeared.

Up on another rooftop, a redhead girl with cerulean blue eyes smirked, her arms crossed over her chest.

"It begins."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Hellish Nightmare Dimension_

Saki's eyes were wide with fear as she looked around her frantically. Everywhere that she see, she can only see pitch black darkness. She does not even know what's going on. One minute, she's chasing down the twins, the next, she's seeing the townspeople collapsing for seemingly no reason at all, blood coming out of their nostrils, eyes, ears, and who knows what, and then she's currently in this pitch black darkness.

"Hello?" she called out. "Is there anyone there? Answer me!"

There was a bell tinkle somewhere to her right just then, and Saki turned around only to see one of the twins running away from her, and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"It's you, isn't it?" she snarled before running after the kid. But no matter how much she tried, she could not seem to catch up to the kid.

"…_ki."_

"Huh?" Saki turned around, hearing a voice. "Who is it?"

"…_a…ki."_

"Who is there?"

"…_Sa…ki…"_

Saki's eyes widened. "Tendo, is that you? Where are you? Stop scaring me like that!"

"_Sa…ki…"_

A beam of light shone onto Tendo just then, and Saki gave out a scream of fright. Tendo was currently tied to a wooden post, his hands tied up as well, and he was missing most of the nails on his hands as well as bleeding tremendously, and even his bones could be seen. He seemed to have been through some extreme torture.

"Tendo!"

"Like what you see?" said a voice directly behind her, and Saki turned to see the redhead from earlier behind her. "Then enjoy it while it lasts. Because you see…you're next."

A sandy blonde haired girl with her hair done up in four pigtails stepped up next to the redhead. "Welcome to Yugito's world of what we call the Hellish Nightmare Dimension," she said.

Each of her arms was grabbed just then, and Saki turned to see two teens – the brunette girl from earlier and a beautiful raven-haired girl.

"Well…" said the raven-haired girl, a faint hint of a smile on her lips. "Let's go."

The brunette girl had a dagger in her hand as she played with the blade as she looked at Saki and said, "A heartless woman like you don't even deserve to have a second chance."

"Wait!" cried out Saki as she struggled against the firm hold of the two girls – boy, they were strong – who dragged her, kicking and screaming to a wooden cross and tied her to it with metal chains. "Why are you doing this? What did I do to deserve this?!"

"What did you do?" echoed Nii Yugito, stepping out of the darkness. "You have the cheek to ask that when you knew full well what you've done? You have no right to call yourself a mother. Not when you tried to kill your own children just because they're different!"

"They aren't human!" screamed Saki. "I'm just doing the world a favour by ridding them of two more _monsters! _They should be thanking me instead!"

Temari snorted. "That's what she said. Heard that? It's no use, captain, she wouldn't admit to her sins."

Saki then turned her head to the left only to see a red-haired girl who seemed to be their leader stepping out of the darkness, her eyes flashing ruby red occasionally. "Well then…" she said. "Let's begin the baptism of fire."

"Hai."

And each of the teens present had flame torches appearing in their hands just then, and Saki felt fear…true fear for the first time in her life. "Baptism…of fire?" she repeated fearfully. "What do you mean? What are you going to do to me? Let me go!"

"Your kids have the power over water," said Haku. "So I think that it's fitting if we deal with you with _fire. _Like what your husband went through a second ago."

"W-What do you mean?"

"Have you heard of the 'cleansing' from nearly a hundred years ago?" said the captain, her hands in her pockets. "That was the time when nin-users were greatly feared and hated in Japan, and many took to burning them at stakes to kill them – like how witches were burned at stakes during the 1800s. But now, nin-users were greatly accepted by society, save for a few, and now…you're going to have a taste of how it feels like to be them. Tenten, start the fire."

The brunette girl nodded before fire started to collect around her hands before the fire on each of the flame torches that the teens were holding came to life before the wooden stake that Saki is tied to caught on fire, and she began to scream.

Oh god, the pain. It's nothing like what she'd felt before.

The captain watched the screaming woman for a moment before turning and leaving. "I'm leaving the rest to you."

Gaara nodded, and each of the Ragnarok members cracked their knuckles, evil grins on their faces. Their fun was just beginning.

**

* * *

**_Towaka Forest_

Both the Tojirama adults were whimpering with extreme pain as Neji and Gaara nailed them by the palms of their hands to the wooden stakes that they were tied to. Saki had burn blisters all over her body and she was disfigured greatly…so much so that all her skin had been burned off. Tendo on the other hand was better than Saki, if only by a little. The bones of his ribs could be seen, and he was missing most of the fingers on his right hand.

Shiki closed her eyes before flipping one of Ragnarok's calling cards to the top of the wooden stake that Saki was tied to, and turned to leave.

"Let's go."

**

* * *

**_Outskirts of Towaka_

"Thank you for your help," said Yuki, bowing to the captain of Ragnarok gratefully, clad in a dark cloak, with her two siblings on either side of her, both clad in dark cloaks as well, the two children clinging to their sister's legs fearfully, looking at the strangers before them.

For even though the group before them had helped to save them, to the twins, they were still strangers, and after what they had just gone through, they're in no hurry to make friends with people whom they'd just met.

"Don't thank us just yet," said Shiki bluntly, and Yuki blinked. "You've made a contract with us. You know what that means, don't you? You're bound to us by a spirit contract, and this means that you can tell no one of Ragnarok and its members. Probably the only thing that you can tell about Ragnarok is the mission that you requested of us. If you break the contract, you die."

"I know," said Yuki with a nod as she turned to look at what was once the village of Towaka which was currently burning and there were many screams as the villagers slowly burned to death. This was Ragnarok's vengeance and something which she had no problem with.

Shiki then sighed and looked at the twins who clutched tightly at their sister's cloak before turning back to Yuki. "Take your siblings and leave this place. Go to a place where nin-users are accepted and never come back here."

"Huh?"

"People with nin-abilities would never be accepted other than in organisations like ANBU," said Haku, stepping up to Shiki. "Your siblings would be better off as ordinary civilians than as agents in ANBU."

"Besides…" said Shiki, glancing at Yuki. "You're a nin-user too, aren't you? It beats me how you managed to keep your abilities hidden from your parents for so long without being found out."

"What are you three going to do now?" asked Haku with concern.

"Fight and survive," said Yuki with a grim smile. "Like we always do. Thank you for everything."

She then turned and left with her siblings, leaving Shiki and Haku behind at the river harbours of Towaka where they were.

"Let's go," said Haku as she headed back towards the boathouse. Shiki followed a moment later, watching the burning village of Towaka before entering the boathouse.

"Justice has been served."

* * *

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_What is your name?"_

"_Sakurai Yuka."_

"_Do you hate that person?"_

"_Hai."_

"_Why do you wish her dead?"_

"_My mother didn't do anything wrong! The one who is in the wrong is that woman! Because of that woman…my mother…! It's not fair!"_

"_What is your wish?"_

"_Please…take that woman…straight down to the pits of Hell!"_

"_I hear and deliver this vengeance."_


	8. A Daughter's Wish

**Disclaimer:** Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Eight: A Daughter's Wish**

_Towaka Forest_

"This is a little brutal…even for Ragnarok," said Ino grimly as she looked at the two badly burned corpses on the wooden stakes as the coroner team took the bodies down. Sakura was currently emptying her stomach behind some trees and Ino can't blame her. Even she's fighting the urge to throw up her breakfast as the two corpses were burned so badly until their bones could almost be seen. Dried blood was pooled at the bottom of the two wooden crosses – evidence that the two bodies must have here for nearly an entire night.

ANBU had gotten a tip-off early this morning from an anonymous caller about the town of Towaka being burned down, and Rendoku and Akatsuki have both been dispatched. Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba have been sent to the town of Towaka to investigate whilst the others do some investigating.

"I know," said Itachi with a sigh as he looked at the corpses that the coroners have just loaded into their van. "But as much as it pains me to say it, I think that they deserved what they got as well. Towaka had this coming with their open dislike of nin-users and murders of nin-users in that town. There have already been quite a few occasions when ANBU have been called there because of a case of severe abuse of a nin-user."

"Aa," agreed Sasuke.

Both Uchiha brothers turned as the sound of the dried leaves on the forest bed cackling alerted them to the presence of three of the ANBU agents that they'd sent to investigate the town of Towaka, and they saw Shikamaru, Kiba and Chouji walking up to them.

"How is it?" asked Sasuke.

"There's nothing to be found in the town at all," reported Shikamaru, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "The _entire _town was burnt down – nothing was left at all. But one of the people from the bomb and arsonist department told me that the fire was purely natural. No signs of kerosene had been found in the town."

One of Ino's eyebrows shot up. "How is that even possible?" she asked incredulously, and Kiba shrugged.

"Beats me," he mumbled.

Itachi frowned. "Let's pack up," he said. "We can do no more here."

"Hai."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Deep in a cave which hardly anyone knows about, Namikaze Shiki was squatting by the edge of a pool with beautiful sparkling water where the waters of a waterfall was falling into. The water was so clear that one can even see the symbols carved into the bed of the pool where some ancient designs were.

Around the walls of the cave were murals telling the story of the creation of the world and the rise and fall of the gods of creation. In the middle of the pool was what seemed to be a green stone box floating on nothing with a soft green light emanating from it with ancient designs carved around the box. Two crystal orbs were set above the box – one ruby red and the other dark purple, nearly black. Both orbs were glowing strangely, with fumes swirling around inside the orbs.

This shrine was the cave of creation…also known as the Bijuu Shrine, which existence was only known to the direct descendants of the gods of creation. Unfortunately, as time passed by, mankind had forgotten all about the gods of creation, and even Shiki only knew about the story through years of research and study. Other than herself, only the members of Ragnarok knew about the cave's existence, and even they were sworn to keep it to themselves as the Bijuu Shrine was a sacred place.

A beep sounded just then, and Shiki turned to look at her watch that was strapped on her left wrist. That watch was another way of communicating among Ragnarok members. The watch was an invention of Shino's, and the watch had several devices built into it which includes a laser, a torchlight, timer, bomb deactivating device, a transmitter, a communicator and many more.

Shiki then sighed and got up.

Duty calls.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Akatsuki's Meeting Room  
__ANBU Headquarters_

"This is getting ridiculous!" said Nagato, frustrated with the lack of information on their latest case, throwing the file down onto his desk. "Nobody saw anything. Nobody even _heard _anything! I'm starting to think that it couldn't even have happened!"

"And why are you blaming me for it?" asked Deidara irritably. The blonde had originally been part of ANBU's arson and terrorist department before he was transferred over to the Akatsuki in criminal affairs, and most of the investigating fell on his shoulders which explains why the blonde was so grumpy and irritated as he had been up ever since two in the morning investigating.

"Are you picking a fight or something?" asked Nagato dangerously, and Konan immediately sensed incoming danger.

"Stop this, both of you!" said Konan hastily. "It wouldn't do if we started fighting among ourselves as well!"

Deidara and Nagato glared at each other before turning away and settling down at their own desks, much to everyone's relief. Kisame breathed a sigh of relief as it would practically spell doom for them should a fight broke out between Nagato and Deidara, especially with their individual nin-abilities.

The vice-captain of the Akatsuki blinked as he noticed that Itachi hadn't said a single word ever since they have returned to their office, and turned towards the Akatsuki captain's direction only to see Itachi reading a file that he had with him, his desk practically hidden by several files and papers – in fact, no one had managed to see Itachi's desk for about a month now, and Kisame can only wonder how Itachi can even hope to find anything at all. The raven-haired Uchiha was tapping the pen in his hand in a steady rhythm on the file, ignoring everything around him.

"Itachi? What's wrong?" asked Kisame, walking up to his best friend, and Itachi blinked as he looked up.

"Oh. Kisame." Itachi muttered before looking through the contents of the file that he's currently reading. "Well, I'm just looking through some of ANBU's old cases."

"Some of our old cases?" Kisame frowned before he took the file from Itachi and read the contents of the file that Itachi had been reading which turned out to be a murder case from about four years back which the culprit behind this crime is proven to be a nin-user, but said nin-user was broken out of ANBU's custody by a few others and hadn't been caught to this day. "This case… I remember this." Kisame frowned, returning the file to Itachi. "That was around the time when Tsunade-sama first informed us about Ragnarok, isn't it?"

Itachi nodded, glancing through the file once more. "None of us had ruled out the possibility that there may be a nin-user among Ragnarok," he stated. "If that is so, then the fire which torched Towaka can be easily explained. The nin-user which was broken out of ANBU custody back then…" Itachi glanced at Kisame. "It might be her."

Kisame nodded slowly. "That makes sense," he said. "Tsunade-sama did mention that the two who had broken her out back then were suspected Ragnarok members. If that is so, then we might have a lead on them at last. And it wouldn't be very surprising if more than half of their organisation are nin-users."

"I wouldn't rule out the possibility that _all_ of them are nin-users," said Itachi grimly, and Kisame blinked and looked at Itachi. The raven haired Uchiha sighed. "Look, I've been looking through all the cases that had a connection with Ragnarok, no matter how small it is." He explained. "Half of the cases connected with them have nin-users involved. It seems to me that Ragnarok is a bit of a nin-user sympathiser. And I wouldn't be surprised if they _are _nin-users themselves since only nin-users understood the pain that a nin-user goes through."

Kisame nodded slowly. "And your point is?" he asked. "We can't just go and arrest every nin-user in the country! We'll have a civil war on our hands again!"

"No one suggested such a thing!" Itachi snapped. He then sighed, standing up and pulling on his jacket. "I'll be out for a few hours to clear my head. I can't think straight right now."

Kisame blinked. "O-Okay…"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Hiraiko_

The entire boathouse was silent as Shiki lay awake in bed that night, the blankets half-covering her. Hinata and Yugito who shared the same room that she did were currently fast asleep in their individual beds, and the only sounds which Shiki can hear is the sound of the water lapping against the sides of the boathouse and the sounds of the wind.

The group of them have arrived to Hiraiko sometime during late evening, and like they always did whenever they came to a town or village, they had done their usual stocking up so that they wouldn't run out of food, and Yugito had performed a quick maintenance check on the boathouse.

Shiki finally got out of bed and pulled on her jacket, careful not to wake Hinata and Yugito as she left the room, deciding to take a walk along the beach of Hiraiko, seeing as she can't seem to fall asleep right now.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Uchiha Itachi walked along the beach of Hiraiko, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans as he kicked up some sand with the toe of his shoe. His ride on his motorcycle had somehow taken him to Hiraiko which is the one place where he is sure to have a greater chance of running into Shiki.

His mind was currently occupied with Ragnarok and their latest case. If truth be told, now that Itachi thinks about it, Ragnarok had never really done anything bad…unlike several of the criminal syndicates that Akatsuki have been chasing after ever since they have first became a team.

Itachi sighed. If nin-users really are involved with Ragnarok, then they're in some major trouble especially since not a single person in ANBU even knew how powerful any of them are or even what their abilities are, save for that one suspected member of Ragnarok which might be that nin-user who had been broken out of ANBU's custody four years ago.

"What should I do?" Itachi muttered to himself. "I don't think that Ragnarok is doing the wrong thing as well. But…"

"_Hoshi ni yuki ni kiwokuni  
__Kimi no ashi a to sabashitu  
__Doka towa no yasuraki  
__Koko wa yume no tochiuere_

_Asanai tsubasa de  
__Sakami chi kakedeku  
__Michikara haku rede  
__Kono me wo tochi deku"_

Itachi blinked as the sounds of sweet singing reaches his ears, and he looked up only to see a certain redhead whom he had been thinking about sitting at the edge of the cliff at the sea, singing an unfamiliar song.

"_Hoshi ni yuki ni kiwokuni  
__Kimi no ashi a da sabashitu  
__Doka towa no yasuraki  
__Koko wa yume no tochiuere_

_Ichika sibate nororite  
__Sore no hate hi noikiri  
__Anata damesi yasuraki  
__Hikari no hato no toshite"_

"That's a lovely song," said Itachi, and Shiki turned around only to see Itachi standing behind her. The Uchiha smiled. "Don't stop. I'll like to hear it."

"_Asanai tsubasa de  
__Sakami chi kakedeku  
__Michikara haku rede  
__Kono me wo tochi deku_

_Yume ni aini kokoroni  
__Kimi no ashi a da sabashitu  
__Towa no hikari no toshite  
__Kururin no nai tsubasa de  
__Towa no aii wa anata ni"_

"That's a wonderful song," said Itachi after the song had ended, and he sat down beside Shiki who shifted over to make room for him. "You ever considered a career in music?"

Shiki laughed. "I don't have much talent in that area, I'm afraid," she said. "That song…is one that my mother left behind when she died. She told me in the letter that she's left behind that the song is a special one. Long ago, people from her country sang that song as a prayer of sorts."

Itachi smiled. "Well, you're definitely good enough to be a singer," he said. "If I ever set up a band, will you be our lead singer?"

Shiki laughed. "What are you saying?" she said with a laugh. "Don't be silly."

"I'm serious," insisted Itachi. "So anyway…what are you doing here?"

"I could have asked you the same thing," said Shiki. "I happened to be visiting Iruka. I can't sleep. Thus, I decided to come and take a walk."

"Same reason for me."

"Liar."

Itachi sighed, tilting his head back to look at the millions of glittery silver stars in the sky. "Well, it's more like I'm troubled over two things," he said. "One is about Ragnarok. The commander had been putting more pressure on my team lately, and they've all been working so hard recently! They're all ready to snap as it is. And the second is that I've had it with that stupid dog!"

Shiki blinked. "Dog?" she echoed.

Itachi sighed. "A drug sniffing dog," he explained. "Our forces are all stretched thin lately, and I was sent to the airport to bust some drug syndicate that day. Me, an ANBU captain, has to lower myself to the position of an ANBU rookie! And that stupid mutt that I was landed with! When I say go right, he goes left. When I say go left, he goes right! It pisses me off! Why, out of all the hundreds of ANBUs, must _I _be the one to be assigned to him, and why must that damn dog even come to ANBU in the first place?!"

Shiki laughed, and Itachi blushed. "I rarely see you so frustrated like this," she said sympathetically. "Seems like you're having a really rough time."

Itachi sighed. "Well, I'll manage," he said. "It won't kill me."

Shiki sighed. "It won't, but the pressure possibly will," she said. "Why don't you talk to someone about your problems, or maybe find some other way to release pressure?"

"Oh yeah? Like who?" asked Itachi irritably. "You are aware that not even I can talk to you about everything, much as I like to."

"An internet chat pal or something," said Shiki with a small smile, and Itachi blinked. "I talk to this internet chat pal of mine whom I'd met on an online forum board recently. He's rather interesting."

Itachi blinked. He suddenly got a feeling that he knew who this internet chat pal of hers is…

"And…what is his handle?" Itachi asked carefully.

"Hmm?" Shiki turned towards Itachi. "RedEye001."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_The Next Morning  
__Cat's Eye  
__Hiraiko_

The sounds of bells tinkled somewhere in the shop as the door of the Cat's Eye cafe in the town of Hiraiko was pushed opened, and Umino Iruka called out a, "Welcome."

"Iruka, a cup of coffee for me please," said Shiki as she took a seat at the counter next to Gaara who was stirring his coffee. Save for the two teens, no one else was in the cafe at this time of morning yet.

"At once, Shiki," said Iruka with a smile. There were a few moments before a cup of steaming hot coffee was placed in front of Shiki. Silence fell as Shiki stirred her coffee before taking a few sips of it to keep her awake.

"Shiki."

"Hmm?"

Gaara glanced over at his friend. "I've heard about a piece of information from Iruka earlier that you might find interesting."

"Oh?" Shiki raised an eyebrow, looking over at Gaara.

"Yeah," said Gaara with a nod. "Apparently, someone has been using our name."

Shiki's eyes narrowed dangerously. She didn't like the sound of that.

"Where?"

"The town of Nakawa."

**

* * *

**_Ragnarok's Headquarters  
__Nakawa_

The door to the boathouse of Ragnarok swung opened, and Hyuuga Neji as well as Sabaku no Gaara stepped in, both looking extremely irritated, and the rest of Ragnarok looked up save for Shino who was typing away furiously on the computer, trying to turn out some information that Shiki had asked for.

"How is it?" asked Yugito with concern, and Gaara sighed before Neji growled.

"It's that woman alright," said Gaara with a nod. "The one that Iruka had mentioned to us. The wife of the CEO of some rich company that had been rising rapidly in the business world lately. She's the one that had been using our name."

Shiki sighed. She was afraid that that will happen. If truth be told, she knew that there will be some imposters who will be using their name sooner or later. There have already been a few cases like that on the Internet, but in the 'real world'?

"Details."

Gaara nodded before lapsing into an explanation. "The woman's name is Arika Mami," he said, ticking the points off on his fingers, and the rest of Ragnarok paid rapt attention to Gaara's words since each and every single one of them wasn't pleased with the fact that someone had been using their name out there. "She's the wife of the CEO of some electrical company which I don't care to name. She had a daughter who's currently in her first year of high school. And the person whom she's supposedly 'blackmailing' or threatening with our name is a woman named Sakurai Keiko. She's a normal housewife with a daughter who attends the same school and class as Arika Mami's daughter. Their family had just moved here because of her husband's job. Her husband works in the company of Arika Mami's husband as an executive of some sort."

"And?" asked Temari with a raised brow. "What did this Arika Mami do to Sakurai Keiko?"

"I'm getting there," said Gaara with a sigh. "It first started out as threatening letters. Anonymous, of course. Those letters were done by cutting out words from magazines so that the culprit couldn't be identified by their handwriting. After that, it became threatening gifts. Like the gift of a skull or even a gift of dead insects."

Everyone winced, feeling sorry for the poor woman who had been receiving all these 'gifts'.

"And? Didn't Sakurai-san call the police or something?" asked Hinata with a raised brow. "Any sane person would, wouldn't they?"

"Well, I'm not sure of the reason why, but no, she didn't go to the police," said Gaara hesitantly. "My guess is that something must have happened between her and Arika Mami, and she didn't dare to go to the police because of that." He sighed. "Or she really assumed that we _are _after her life."

Shiki sighed. "Well, whatever the reason is, we can't leave it alone," she said grimly, and everyone nodded, agreeing with Shiki. She then turned towards Gaara. "How long had this been going on?"

"About two weeks now," said Gaara.

There was a beep from Shino's computer just then which indicates that there's a new message, and everyone present turned towards Shino who was currently seated before the computer, ignoring everything around him.

Shiki frowned before walking towards Shino and looking at the screen as Shino opened the message only to see that it's another request from a client. Everyone in the boathouse was silent as Shino and Shiki read the message before the redhead spoke once more, not turning away from the computer.

"Gaara. Neji." The two mentioned turned towards the redhead. "What is the name of the daughter of Sakurai Keiko?"

"Huh?" Neji blinked. "Er…I think that it's Sakurai Yuka." He looked at Gaara who nodded, confirming it. "Why did you ask?"

"Because we got another revenge request," said Shiki, still not turning around from the computer. "Target: Arika Mami. And the client's name is Sakurai Yuka."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Sakurai Residence  
__Nakawa_

"I'm telling you! I didn't do it!"

"Everyone at the office is saying that you've slept with another man while I was at work!"

"You never cared about this family or Yuka anyway!"

"How dare you say that?!" There was the sound of a slap, then that of a woman crying. "What makes you think that I'm working so hard for?! It's all for this family!"

Haku sighed as she looked at Yugito and Temari who were all perched on the rooftop of some house in Nakawa, hiding behind the chimney so that no one in the streets can see them. Neji, Gaara and Shiki were both currently somewhere in the town investigating their client's request.

"What a disaster," muttered Temari, shaking her head. "The client sure has it rough."

Yugito sighed.

Everyone in Ragnarok was concerned about this case as not only does the case involve a certain someone who had been foolish enough to use Ragnarok's name to blackmail and to threaten someone, but both parties involved in the request this time around are the same ones whom were involved in the case of some poor fool who had been using the name of Ragnarok.

Shiki was not pleased with Arika Mami, and Yugito isn't sure if she should feel sorry for the poor woman or not. She can't help feeling that Shiki might be harsher on this woman than they did to any of their other targets in the past, and Yugito can't blame Shiki as well.

A whirl of sand appeared somewhere behind Temari just then, and Gaara appeared. "How is it?" asked Temari curiously, and Gaara sighed.

"Well, the truth is out now," said her brother tiredly. "Apparently, Arika Mami had committed adultery, though she had managed to keep it under wraps so far." The three girls blinked owlishly. "We're paying the client a visit tonight as Shiki feels that we at least owe Sakurai Yuka the truth behind the reason why Arika Mami had been tormenting her mother."

"And how, pray tell, did you find out that Arika Mami had committed adultery?" asked Temari, and Gaara blushed.

"Well…I used my sand eye in a room in a hotel in this town where she was at and…" Gaara coughed, a light flush on his cheeks. "Let's just say that I've seen something similar to one of the scenes in those Icha Icha books that Jiraiya wrote that I saw by accident when we were all little."

Temari, Yugito and Haku blushed.

"I…see."

"Anyway, we should all get back now," said Gaara hastily. "Shiki's orders. And let me tell you this, she isn't pleased with Arika Mami. I wouldn't wish to be in the shoes of Arika Mami once we actually carry out our client's request." He shivered a little. "Shiki isn't happy."

Haku nodded. "Definitely," she said, hearing the wails of the woman in the house which rooftop that they were currently perched on.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_That Night  
__Nakawa_

Sakurai Yuka sat on the swing in the playground of the town, swinging gently to and fro, a sad look on her face. She didn't want to go back home right now. Things have gone horribly wrong ever since her family had moved here because of her father's work. Why is the Arika family targeting them anyway? She didn't know what had happened between her mother and Arika Mami, but whatever it is, it's bound to be something important. The only question is what?

"Sakurai Yuka?"

Yuka looked up at the voice and saw a redheaded girl around her age standing in front of her with a dark haired teen with strange eyes standing beside her. Yuka nodded slowly and stood up.

"What can I do to help you?"

The girl smiled slightly. "You've called for us, didn't you?" she stated more than asked.

Yuka's eyes widened. "Ragnarok?" she nearly whispered, and Shiki nodded.

"What is your request?"

"I want Ragnarok to take out Arika Mami," said Yuka immediately, anger creeping into her tone. "She's been causing my mother so much grief. And I want to know what had happened with my mother and Arika-san."

Shiki studied Yuka for a moment. "I can't do anything to help your mother," she said at last. "All I and Ragnarok can do is to merely take revenge on your behalf. That's what we're here for. Besides, we have a personal issue with Arika Mami anyway, and we'll be paying a visit to her sooner or later." Yuka nodded dumbly, not knowing what that 'issue' is, but having more than enough sense to not ask. "But be warned though, every single one of our clients will be honour bound by a spiritual contract once they've requested our services."

"Spiritual contract?"

"Yes. You will be bound to Ragnarok once you've officially made a contract with us. You will not be allowed to speak anything of Ragnarok to anyone – who our members are, what we did for you – anything at all. If you break that spiritual contract, you die. It's that simple. That's our only condition. Despite knowing that, do you still wish to make a contract with us?"

Yuka stared at the ground for a full minute before looking up to meet Shiki in the eye and nodded determinedly. "Yes."

Shiki nodded. "Very well," she said. "Then I shall show you." She turned towards Neji. "Neji. The barrier please."

Neji nodded before a ripple of air went through everything within distance, and a faint yellow glow surrounded the town, and it seemed to Yuka as if time had suddenly stopped completely. Even the leaves flying through the air – blown by the wind – seemed to be stuck in mid-air as if someone had glued them in mid-air.

Shiki then turned towards Yuka. "Come with me," she said, and she walked out to the main streets of Nakawa with Neji and Yuka following her before a pale blue glow surrounded the 'frozen' streets.

"Time Reversal," muttered Neji, his right hand glowing blue as well.

Time then started to go backwards only in a part of the streets where they are currently at before stopping to normal time, and Yuka's eyes nearly fell out of her head when she saw that herself and her mother were both walking down the streets. The part of the town where she saw herself and her mother had time flowing normally – with the blue skies and clouds and everything.

"They can't see us," said Shiki, placing one hand on Yuka's shoulder. "I shall let you see…what had happened that day."

Yuka stared as she saw herself and her mother talking about cakes and cookies. "It's that day," muttered Yuka, realising that she'd seen this scene before. "The day after we'd just moved in."

"…but Yuka, can you really bake a cake without blowing the kitchen up?" teased her mother.

"Mum!" protested Yuka from the past.

Sakurai Keiko then paused in her step and turned her gaze upwards as past-Yuka walked steadily on, not realising that her mother had stopped in her tracks. Yuka stared and turned her gaze upwards to where her mother was looking at, and squinted only to reel back in shock only to see the sight of Arika Mami in bed with another man.

Time started flowing forwards quickly again before the scene around them switched to that of a sitting room in a house…_their _house, Yuka realised. The room was dark and her mother was crying on the floor, her clothes tattered, and closing her shirt around her body. Arika Mami was standing at the doorway of the sitting room, a camera in her hand with an unknown man with her.

Mami smirked as she slipped the camera into her bag. "If you don't want these pictures distributed around, you'll hold your tongue about what you see, or we'll pay your daughter a visit next."

Yuka could feel tears leaking from her eyes as she covered her mouth with both her hands. "That's enough…" She managed to choke out through her tears. "That's enough!"

The scene vanished, and they were soon back in the park where Yuka had met the two members from Ragnarok. "Why…?" whispered Yuka, falling to her knees, tears falling freely from her eyes. "Why?"

Shiki looked at Yuka with a sad look, feeling sorry for the girl, but said nothing.

"This is life," said Shiki with a sigh. "Your mother merely saw something that she shouldn't have seen, and was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Yuka turned angry tear-filled eyes towards the captain of Ragnarok. "It wasn't my mother's fault!" She nearly yelled. "The one at fault is Nina's mother! Why must my mother go through this?!" Yuka looked at her hands. "What…should I do now?"

"That is up to you to decide," said Shiki calmly. "We cannot move in on a target unless our client wills it. That is your call to make. Do you still want to take your revenge on Arika Mami?"

Yuka wiped her tears away and nodded determinedly. "Yes," she said. "But I want another person taken out too."

"Her lover?" questioned Shiki knowingly, and Yuka nodded. Shiki nodded. "Very well. Consider it done. They'll be gone by the end of the week."

Shiki then turned away from Yuka, and when Yuka blinked, both Ragnarok members were gone, leaving her alone in an empty street with time flowing normally again, and the words of the captain of Ragnarok echoing in her head.

"_With every life taken, there is a price to pay. And that price…is the guilt gnawing at your heart as well as the chains surrounding your soul. You may not be the one who had killed that woman, but you ordered it on her."_

"I don't mind…" muttered Yuka to herself. "As long as Mom can be happy…I don't mind how heavy the price is…"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Next Day  
__Nakawa_

"Alright, he's in," said Kankuro, looking through the pair of binoculars that he had with him on top of some random building in Nakawa, watching as Arika Mami's lover walked into the Arika mansion.

"Why do I have to do this?" grunted Neji who was currently dressed as a delivery boy from a florist shop.

"Oh, come on," said Yugito irritably who was dressed the part of a delivery girl as well. "You and I both know that only our powers can enable us to do this part of the job. Let's go."

Neji sighed before jumping off the roof with Yugito and landing on the ground. Haku smirked as she pressed a finger to the communicator in her ear.

"Commence mission."

**

* * *

**_Hellish Nightmare Dimension_

"Where is this place?" wondered Arika Mami as she walked in this ghost town which streets was empty with people. The last thing that she remembered was when her lover paid her his usual 'visit', and then, two delivery people from some florist shop knocked at the door, and that's the last thing that she remembered before being in this place. "Hey! Is there anyone out there?!"

Something fluttered against her legs just then, and Mami looked down only to see that it's a newspaper of some sort before she frowned and picked it up, smoothing the paper over only to have her eyes widening in horror at the front page photo which was unmistakably that of her and her lover doing unmentionable things in bed. And the headline was, 'CEO's Wife Caught Committing Adultery'.

"W-What is this?!" Mami gasped out in horror, dropping the newspaper before taking a few steps backwards only to bump into someone and falling to the ground. She then turned around only to see that a crowd had formed out of nowhere, and she can't see their faces properly, yet she can tell that they're all looking sneeringly at her.

"Look at her."

"That's Arika-sama's wife, isn't it?"

"How terrible. To have his wife cheating on him with another man."

"A woman at this age having such a vulgar body…"

"W-What?!" Mami managed to stutter through her fright, standing up, looking at the faceless crowd. "Who are you people?! I've done nothing wrong! T-That photo is a f-fake! That's right! That's a fake! It must be that bitch Sakurai! She must have done it! And she's the one who had committed adultery! Not me!"

The eerie laughter of the faceless crowd faded away just then, and with the laughter, the crowd themselves, and when Mami looked up, she saw a blonde girl standing beside a raven haired girl with a dark haired male with strange eyes standing on her other side, all three of them looking at her.

"Well?" asked the raven haired girl. "Feel like admitting to your sins yet?"

"Sins? What sins?!" Mami demanded. "Did that bitch Sakurai put you up to this?!"

"No one did," said a voice next to Mami's ear, and she staggered back in shock and turned around only to see a blue haired girl with strange eyes standing beside a redheaded male with pale green eyes and a brunette girl with her hair done up in buns, all three of them studying her.

The redheaded male looked at Mami with a look as if she was something that ought to be scrapped off the bottom of his shoe. "You've sure been bad lately," said the redhead. "You actually used Ragnarok's reputation as assassins and punishers to the wicked and the bad, and actually used their name to make that poor woman afraid and tried to find the site of Ragnarok to carry out your dirty work."

Mami nearly jumped out of her skin when a cool hand touched her shoulder, and she turned around only to see a redheaded girl with sky blue eyes whom she assumed to be the leader of these teens standing beside a raven haired teen with sunglasses, the girl studying her with a cool expression which made Mami nervous.

"This is the first time that we've met, isn't it?" said the girl calmly. "It's unfortunate, but you've accessed the wrong site back then."

"First time…?" Mami trailed off, staring at the redhead girl, suddenly recalling an occasion nearly a week ago when she's on the Internet, trying to find the site of Ragnarok before coming across the site on the search engine that she's used before typing in her request, name as well as Sakurai Keiko's name along with her address before submitting it. It wasn't long before a message had been sent to her email, stating that her request had been received.

"It's been causing us a lot of trouble as well," said the blue haired girl with a smirk on her lips. "There have been a lot of fakes recently."

Mami felt cold settle inside her stomach as she realised that this group of teens before her is the _real _Ragnarok, the group which she's been using the name of, and they don't look happy. "It can't be…"

Shiki stared at Arika Mami with an uninterested look before turning away, Shino tagging along after her – the insect user rarely participates in any of their clients' requests unless otherwise. "I'm leaving the rest of it up to you," she said, and the rest of Ragnarok nodded.

Tenten then smirked, and fire surrounded her hands.

_Let the fun begin._

**

* * *

**_Nakawa_

Shiki then looked at the two bleeding and broken bodies on wooden crosses in the middle of the town – both with torn clothes barely covering their modesty with Ragnarok's mark engraved somewhere on their bodies. This was Ragnarok's way to mark their victims who had committed unforgivable crimes and this was one of them.

Neji placed a brown manila envelope onto the ground before the two bodies, with all the photographs as well as the evidence that they have gathered about Arika Mami's crime of adultery as well as the evidence that she's been the one who had been threatening Sakurai Keiko and had framed her for adultery all within that envelope with a single phrase written across the front of the envelope: 'Play with fire and you will get burned'.

Hopefully, this will discourage any imposters from attempting to use Ragnarok's name to commit crimes in the future. They wouldn't be able to stop the imposters on the Internet, but they would at least be able to curb it in the physical world.

Shiki sighed silently to herself.

"Let's go."

* * *

_A/N: A pretty long chapter this time around! Also, the song used in this chapter is Raggs no Chikonka from episode twenty of the 07-Ghost anime. I kind of liked that song myself, and thought that it'll fit the mood of this chapter. _

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review._

_**Preview for next chapter:**_

"_What is your name?"_

"_Namikuri Inari."_

"_Do you hate that man?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because of that man…my father…my father…!"_

"_What is your request?"_

"_Take that man…straight to the pits of Hell!"_

"_I hear and deliver this vengeance."_


	9. Tears of Sorrow

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Tears of Sorrow**

_Katokori_

A twelve-year-old brunette boy gritted his teeth in fury as he typed away on the computer, trying to find the website that had been the talk of the Web for months and was rumoured to be the only way to contact that mysterious organisation that had been talked about in the newspapers and the Internet for over four years.

Namikuri Inari grinded his teeth together in fury and glared at the grey fortress building that was just vaguely visible outside his window, being enclosed within a fence, and turned towards the photo frame sitting on his desk which was that of a younger Inari with his arms flung around a cheerful laughing dark-haired man who was Inari's foster father.

His biological father had passed away when Inari was still a baby, and thus, his mother had brought him up single-handedly with his grandfather. Inari had met his foster father when he had fallen into the sea by his village by mistake, and his foster father had saved him as he couldn't swim then. And by some strange twist of fate, his mother had ended up marrying this man who had later became his foster father, and Inari and his new father had been extremely close until he was murdered by that swine about a year back.

Finally, Inari managed to connect with the page that links him to the website of that infamous group, and without any hesitation, he typed in his request as well as the name of the man that he wanted to be taken out. The same man who had torn his family apart and turned Katokori upside down for the past year: _Gatou._

Inari then clicked on the 'Send' button and leaned back into his chair. The request was sent. Now all that awaits is Ragnarok's answer.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was currently late spring, and a certain ANBU captain as well as a certain Ragnarok captain could both be found sitting within the branches of a sakura tree in the park of the town of Hiraiko where the cherry blossoms were fluttering prettily down to the ground.

Namikaze Shiki was sitting with her back against the trunk of the tree, a red leather bound book opened in her hand, with the words 'Loveless' written in golden cursive writing across the cover of the book.

"'_The mysterious abyss tis the Gift of the Goddess. In pursuit of this gift, we take flight. Within the heart's water surface, a hopeless wander will flow. Like ripples to waves come forth the dreams below'." _Shiki read her favourite phrase of her favourite book out loud.

Itachi who was sitting on the same tree branch that Shiki was sitting on smirked and turned towards her. "Loveless, Act One," he said. The guy had started reading Loveless not long after he's met Shiki for the second time outside a bookstore when she had bought the French version of Loveless – the girl had an odd tendency to collect the book Loveless in several different languages.

Shiki chuckled and closed the book with a light clap, tucking it away. "You remembered."

"Having to hear you read it every day," said Itachi, smirking as he tapped the side of his book. "I have no choice but to remember."

Shiki smiled and leaned back into the tree trunk, watching the sakura petals fall lightly to the ground like pink snow. She held out one hand and watched as a single sakura petal fall lightly into the palm of her hand. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said.

Itachi watched her. "Yeah."

"Another spring has come and gone," said Shiki, letting the sakura petal in the palm of her hand fall lightly to the ground. "I love the spring and fall seasons especially. The world's always especially beautiful then."

Itachi's cellphone rang just then, and he immediately fished his phone out from within his pocket before answering it. "Hello?" Itachi frowned a little as he listened to whatever the person on the other end of the line has to say before sighing. "Understood. I'll be right over." _Click._

"Work?" asked Shiki sympathetically, and Itachi sighed and nodded.

"Unfortunately." Itachi sighed. "I'll see you later." Shiki nodded before he leapt off the tree branch and left the area, walking towards where his motorcycle was parked.

Shiki sighed before jumping off the tree that she was on as well. She had a certain informant to find.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye  
__Hiraiko_

Dusk was nearly falling in the town of Hiraiko as Namikaze Shiki walked in the streets of the town, and the birds were all letting out shrill cries, on their way back home to roost. As such, Shiki wasn't surprised to find the Cat's Eye cafe – a regular haunt of hers and her friends whenever they were in Hiraiko empty of customers as she entered the cafe. The only people in the cafe was Iruka, two of his newly employed waiters/waitresses as well as two of the people that she's currently looking for.

"Hello," said Shiki with a smile as a bell tinkled somewhere in the shop as she opened the door.

The sole waitress of the café stared at the redheaded teen in wonder as the other waiter stared at her as well – never seeing her before. The waiter and waitress were originally street punks whom Iruka had 'picked up' of sorts a few months back, and he had given them a job here. The two were also a great help to Iruka and his job as an informant especially since the boy was good with computers, though for obvious reasons, the two weren't aware of Iruka's affiliation with Ragnarok…yet.

Iruka looked up as Shiki entered his cafe before sighing and smiling. Cat's Eye was also a favourite hangout for freelancer agents that took on all kinds of jobs and Iruka had seen all kinds of people.

The redhead had changed a lot ever since he had first met her, Neji and Hinata all those years ago when she had first walked into his cafe with such a lost look in her eyes that made Iruka wonder if she's still human or a walking corpse.

It was unfortunate, but this is the way of life in the current Japan especially after the civil war which had broken out in the country which had reduced Japan to it's current state, considering the fact that ¼ of the country had a deep hatred for nin-users. Life for nin-users is better now than before, but it still didn't change the fact that most of the people considered them as freaks or abominations of nature that ought to be killed.

Apart from taking on requests that came in, the members of Ragnarok took on several sideline jobs to feed themselves. Several of the members of Ragnarok apart from Shino who hardly ever moves away from his laptop became bounty hunters of sort – hunting down criminals with a bounty on their heads to bring in some cash for the local bounty hunter station whenever they're not on a job. And naturally, Shiki did something similar as well. But instead of being a bounty hunter of sorts, Shiki is an agent or a 'contractor'.

"Yo Shiki," said Iruka with a kind smile as he brewed some coffee in his coffee dispenser, then called to the only two 'customers' in his café. "Sasame, Arashi, your favourite customer is here again."

"Thanks for the introductions, Iruka," said Shiki with a smile before looking at the two helpers in his cafe. "Those two are new here?"

"Yes, I'm Usegi Moegi," said the girl with a polite bow. "This is Miyugi Udon. We have just started working here."

"I see…" said Shiki with a smile. "I'm a 'contractor' of sorts."

"Contractor?"

"Sasame and Arashi are freelancers that take jobs that require them to collect information on the underworld and several jobs like that, right?" said Shiki and the two nodded. "Contractors are people who deal with people with jobs like that, though I _do_ go on a few myself as I'm an agent as well."

"I see…" said Moegi thoughtfully. "I never knew that."

"Well, you'll know more as you continue helping me with my sideline job," said Iruka with an amused chuckle. "Not to blow my own horn, but I'm rather famous as an informant in these parts, though I don't just help anyone."

"That's right. And where do the two of you think you are going?" said Shiki, turning around to face the two teens who had tried sneaking past the girl as she's speaking with Udon, Moegi and Iruka.

Arashi, a brunette teen a few years older than Shiki coughed into his hand. "Well…sorry about that, but I suddenly remembered that I have something to do," he mumbled.

"Same here," said Sasame with a raised hand.

"Really?" said Shiki sarcastically. She had been dealing with the two for a long time now to know that they just wanted to get away from her, and she can't blame them since they've nearly gotten themselves blown up on the last job that she sent them on. Such is the dangers for being one of her contacts. "And to think that I went to the trouble to get work for you two as well."

Arashi turned around, fire burning in his brown eyes. "The jobs that you give us are never easy!" he nearly yelled.

"And to top it off, we almost got killed the last time!" added Sasame, backing her brother up.

Shiki sighed. What on earth possesses her to have those two as one of her contacts again? Oh right. They were some of the best agents that she can find. "Who said that jobs like this are easy?" she said.

"Anyway, we're not taking whatever job you got in mind," said Arashi firmly with an air of finality.

That's it. The usual playful banter ended, and it's now time to get serious. Shiki looked at both Sasame and Arashi, a serious look in her eyes.

"It's a personal request from myself," she said.

That stopped both Arashi and Sasame in their tracks. After a moment or two, both turned around to face Shiki, and Arashi sighed. "Let's hear it," he said.

**

* * *

**Over a cup of coffee later, both Sasame and Arashi were now poring over the duplicate blueprints that Shiki had given them. Those were copies made by Shino who had been investigating Oto and Ne under Shiki's orders. The computer genius of Ragnarok was pretty busy lately despite them not having had a request for about a month or so now especially since he was busy investigating Ne, Oto as well as the ANBU.

Anyone who is involved in the underworld knew that Oto is under the command of Orochimaru, Japan's most wanted criminal, and Ne is a terrorist organisation of sorts. And Ragnarok had a bone to pick with those two organisations, or rather, the leaders of said organisations especially since most of their members had a grave injustice done to them by Orochimaru and Danzo – the leaders of Oto and Ne respectively.

Shiki sighed. "Let's make this short," she said. "I want one of you to infiltrate the Oto organisation here in Japan and gather information on Orochimaru and Ne."

Sasame frowned. "Didn't Orochimaru flee Japan four years ago after that human experimenting incident?" she asked.

Shiki nodded tiredly. "Yes, but that doesn't mean that his activities in Japan have stopped," she said. "His second-in-command is overseeing it." Her eyes flashed dangerously. "His boy-toy."

Arashi frowned. "Kabuto?"

"Bingo," said Shiki. "They're giving us some trouble lately." Shiki took a quick glance around the cafe before lowering her voice. "Some of our cases recently are linked directly to Oto."

Arashi and Sasame then perked up. The two were among the few that were well aware who Ragnarok's members were, and were responsible for throwing several criminals and the occasional ANBU off Ragnarok's tail in the past.

Arashi sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. "And? What do you want us to do?"

Shiki sighed. "I need Sasame to infiltrate Oto," she said. "No offense to you, Arashi, but Kabuto knows of you as your reputation as an agent is quite well-known, but Sasame hasn't yet. And besides…I got a different job for you."

Shiki passed a slip of paper over to Arashi who frowned as he opened it and read it before his eyes widened slightly and nodded, looking at Shiki. "We'll take it," he said. "And don't worry about the fees. We'll do it for free if necessary this time since we have a bone to pick with the snake as well."

Shiki breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks," she said. "I owe you one for this. You guys know the rules."

Sasame and Arashi both nodded. "Don't worry," said Arashi. "Our lips are sealed on this one."

Shiki's cellphone rang just then and she answered it. "Hello?"

"_Shiki? It's Gaara."_

"What is it?"

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. _"We got a request."_

Shiki's eyes narrowed. "I'll be right over." _Click._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Ragnarok Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Hiraiko_

"What's the request?" asked Shiki as she entered the boathouse only to see all the members of Ragnarok peering over Shino's shoulder at the computer screen.

"Shino's managed to trace it to the village of Katokori," said Neji, jerking one thumb towards the direction of the computer whizz. "It's from a boy named Namikuri Inari."

"Katokori?" frowned Shiki. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

Shino sighed and turned around to face them. "It was a seaport town that does trading with many villages and towns all over Japan," he said. "We've done a few jobs for them in the past, didn't we? Some bounty hunting jobs."

"That's right!" said Shiki. "Now I remember. What happened?"

"A crime lord by the name of Gatou took over the village of Katokori about a year ago," said Shino, pointing with his thumb at his computer screen.

"Hang on. Gatou?" said Yugito, blinking owlishly before exchanging looks with Temari and Tenten. "He's one of the world's richest men as well as one of the major crime lords in the underworld, isn't it? What's he got to do with the current case?"

"I'm getting to that," said Shino with a sigh, and Yugito grinned sheepishly. Shino cleared his throat. "Anyway, back to what I'm saying… The father of the client – Namikuri Kaiza – he was one of my contacts in Katokori. But I've lost contact with him a while back. About a year ago, to be exact. That man was the sole police officer in the village of Katokori, and when Gatou took over the village…well…" He trailed off.

Temari sighed, putting two and two together like everyone else. "Kaiza proved to be a threat to him and he took him out, huh?" she said, and Shino nodded. "And he's the father of the client?"

"Yeah," said Shino with a nod. "He wants us to take Gatou out and free the village of Katokori."

Haku sighed. "Another revenge request? We seemed to be getting a lot of those lately," she muttered.

Shiki sighed. "Kankuro and Tenten, steer the boathouse towards the docks of Katokori, but park it a little way away from the village. I don't want Gatou catching sight of us."

"Roger that," said Tenten before both herself and Kankuro headed to the controls of the boathouse.

"We're taking this case?"

"Investigating first," corrected Shiki. "Though I get the feeling that we'll be taking this case eventually. Gaara, Neji and Haku…you'll come with me later."

"Huh?" Hinata blinked. "Shiki? You're overseeing this case personally?"

"Yeah," said Shiki with a nod before heading up to the rooftop of the boathouse as Tenten and Kankuro steered the boathouse, and Temari can't help chuckling.

"Oh boy…" mused Temari. "The captain is seeing this case personally?" She grinned at her friends. "I pity the target."

"Me too."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Two Hours Later  
__Katokori_

Nii Yugito perched on the tree branch of some tree as she eyed the client that had hired them – Inari was his name – as he was pushed around by a few bullies nearly three times his size again and narrowed her eyes dangerously. This scene was starting to bring up a few bad memories for her…

_Think you're so tough now?_

Yugito played with a few pebbles about in her hand before shooting it at the bullies who yelped, looking around, wondering who was shooting them before another pebble that hit the leader on the head caused him to run back home, leaving Inari who looked around himself in amazement before heading back home.

Yugito sighed. Shiki didn't order her to help with the investigating, but she was doing it all the same. Somehow, Inari's case reminded her of her own past, though Inari's wasn't as bad as her past.

"Yugito." Yugito looked up to see Gaara leaning against the bark of the tree that she's perched on, his hands folded across his chest as he looked at the departing form of Inari. He had been the one who was tailing Inari, and had of course felt Yugito's presence. "Did Shiki order you to help me?"

Yugito shut her eyes before opening them again, playing about with the pebbles in her right hand. "No, she didn't," she said at last.

Gaara turned to look at Yugito, and even though the girl couldn't see it, she can sense Gaara's eyes practically boring holes into the back of her head. "Why?" he asked, and Yugito knew that he's referring to her involvement in this case.

It was an unspoken rule among Ragnarok that other than the members that Shiki requested to investigate a case, the others will stay put and either help Shino or Shiki with the other matters of the case.

"I just felt like it," she said, and it wasn't a complete lie.

Gaara stared at Yugito for a moment or two before sighing. "I don't think that I have to tell you this, Yugito," he said. "But in our line, you can't be too emotional as it might affect our work. I'm surprised that Shiki didn't pull you out of this case, but I'm sure that she has her reasons." He sighed. "She's our captain for a reason, Yugito. Please remember that."

Yugito nodded dumbly before Gaara vanished.

**

* * *

**Yugito looked at the light of Inari's bedroom before the light snapped off and she sighed before disappearing. Not too far from the tree where she was in were Shiki and Gaara who were both perched on the same tree branch, watching Inari and Yugito.

"Shiki, do you think we should exclude Yugito from this case?" asked Gaara. "I mean no offense when I say this, but I seriously feel that she's being too emotional right now."

Shiki sighed. "You know as well as I do that even if I do that, she'll interfere all the same," she said. "It's similar to her past. You know how I found her in the city of Hakawa all those years ago."

Gaara frowned. "Nii Yugito of the Lightning Hands," he muttered. "Former leader of Hakawa's most feared gang."

**

* * *

**Yugito gazed up at the fortress that was Gatou's home. She knew that Shiki had made contact with Inari a while back, and it's only a matter of time before Ragnarok start moving. There was a creak just then, and Yugito looked down from the tree that she's in only to see Gatou heading into the fortress.

Yugito narrowed her eyes dangerously and leapt down to the ground only to be intercepted by Gaara. "Stop, Yugito!" shouted the redhead. "You can't interfere in this!"

Yugito ignored him and Gaara scowled before directing sand bullets around her feet only to have the blonde ignore it and ran towards the fortress. Annoyed, the redhead shouted, "Idiot! Can't you see that I'm missing you on purpose?!"

Shiki suddenly appeared in between Gaara and Yugito just then and shook her head slowly. Gaara blinked. "Shiki?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarutobi Konohamaru blinked and blinked again.

He had been a tad bit concerned when those new visitors have came to their village as new visitors that happened to be passing through the village or just came for a short visit rarely walked out alive because of Gatou.

His best friend, Namikuri Inari had been a very angry teen recently especially after the death of his foster father, and Konohamaru couldn't blame him. But Inari had mentioned once that he _will _get revenge on Gatou no matter what it takes.

Konohamaru can't blame Inari for wanting revenge, but vengeance begets nothing but pain and loneliness.

And thus, when he saw a few of those visitors heading into the direction where Gatou's fortress is, he had gone to drag them away before Gatou's men could arrest them or something, but what he saw is something that you don't see every day, and which had the ability to seal his mouth shut as he watched the scene play out in front of him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yugito looked coldly at the bodies of the two guards on the ground, their bodies twitching slightly with static. That was one of her abilities, other than her inter-dimensional ability. She can control lightning and electricity and that was one of the reasons why she's known as the Lightning Hands back during her gang days.

Shiki and Gaara calmly walked past Yugito as they headed to the room of Gatou, and the captain of Ragnarok turned towards Yugito. "Want to come?"

Yugito nodded and followed the two.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarutobi Konohamaru was stunned. He knew immediately what they are.

His uncle had told him enough times about people with strange abilities. And whilst both himself and his uncle don't harbour any hatred or fear for nin-users, this was actually the first time that Konohamaru had actually seen a nin-user using their powers for the first time in his life.

A cool hand touched his shoulder just then, and Konohamaru literally jumped out of his skin in fright before turning around and saw a beautiful raven-haired girl around the age of sixteen or so with a hand on his shoulder, both partially hidden by the large oak tree that Konohamaru had hidden behind to spy on those people.

Shisei Haku looked at Konohamaru with a blank expression. "Don't say a word," she said. "And don't even try to follow them. Not unless you want to die."

Konohamaru can only stare. "Huh?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Gatou shivered in fright as he watched the redhead and the creamy haired blonde killed all of his guards with little to no effort at all and watched as the leader stepped up to him.

"D-D-Don't kill me!" he stammered. "I-I-I have money! It's money that you want, right?! I'll give you every cent that I have! Please don't kill me!"

Anger flashed in those blue eyes before Namikaze Shiki turned towards Gaara whom nodded, and sand immediately wrapped itself around Gatou before the crime lord toppled to the ground, and Shiki levelled a cold look on him.

"Silence fool," she snapped. "Do not mock me. However much money that you've got…you can't buy Ragnarok and you can't buy Twila. Money can't buy people's lives. Repent for that in Hell."

Yugito then stepped forward, her right hand cackling with lightning and touched Gatou before his body was fried by over 200,000,000 volts, and he dropped dead onto the ground. Shiki then sighed and turned to her friends. "Let's get out of here," she said. "Or we'll be buried along with them once Shino activate the explosives."

Yugito nodded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarutobi Konohamaru was currently praying to every god in existence as he stared at the redhead girl in front of him who was flanked on either side by a redhead boy with pale green eyes and a creamy blonde haired girl. The raven haired girl from earlier was currently stopping him from running by holding a hand onto his shoulder.

"What should we do?" asked Gaara with a frown, studying the kid. "He saw us. Should we kill him?"

Right after Shiki, Gaara and Haku have left the fortress, it had collapsed right after Shino had activated the explosives planted within the fortress. And just when they were planning to return to the boathouse and get the hell out of here, Haku had sent a message to them that there is some trouble, and when the three got to where the ice maiden is, they found her with a brunette boy, and the girl had explained that the boy saw everything.

Konohamaru stiffened when Gaara mentioned killing.

Shiki shook her head, much to Konohamaru's relief as he assumed the redhead to be the leader. "No," she said firmly. "You know our code. We don't kill needlessly. Less of all innocents."

"But he saw us."

Shiki frowned before approaching Konohamaru and knelt down to his eye level which he flinched back at, and the only thing stopping him from bolting the hell out of here was the fact that Haku currently had a hand on his shoulder. Not for the first time, Konohamaru cursed the fact that he's so overly curious, and saw something that he shouldn't have seen.

"Kid, what is your name?"

Konohamaru gulped. "K-Konohamaru. S-Sarutobi Konohamaru."

Shiki raised an eyebrow. "Sarutobi?" she muttered. "Are you related to Asuma?"

Konohamaru blinked. "How do you know my uncle?" he asked, and Shiki raised an eyebrow.

"Your uncle?" she muttered. "I see…" She then stood up, studying Konohamaru intently for several minutes which made him uncomfortable before the redhead looked at Haku, motioning silently for her to release her hold on the boy which the ice maiden did, causing Konohamaru to stumble slightly as he stared at the group with wide and frightened eyes.

"W-Why?"

"Because your uncle helped us a lot back then we're down and out," said Gaara, answering the question. "We owed him a debt. We won't kill you, but…"

Yugito spoke next. "As you can guess by now, we're Ragnarok," she said, confirming Konohamaru's suspicions. "The group that had been on ANBU's most wanted list for over four years now. We'll let you off this once, but we'll be keeping an eye on you. And I'm sure that you know what that means."

Gaara levelled a stern glance on him. "If you told anyone anything about us, you'll die," he said simply, and Konohamaru's eyes widened. "You don't think that we can survive this long without ANBU knowing anything about us for no reason at all, do you? We have informants and spies all over the place."

"Besides…do you really believe that what we're doing is evil?" asked Shiki, looking at Konohamaru.

"I…"

"Gatou caused a great deal of suffering to your village, isn't it?" asked Shiki, gesturing towards the burning fortress. "Your friend hired us, and we simply did our job. Unlike what you think, we don't take on every request that came our way. We investigated the client first. We only killed those whom we think deserved it."

"My friend?" Konohamaru blinked before realisation struck him like a sledgehammer. "Don't tell me…! Inari?"

Shiki studied him intently. "Despite that, do you still believe that we're evil?"

"But…murder is murder, no matter the reason," muttered Konohamaru, and even his resolve is starting to falter.

Gaara looked at the brunette with a look of disgust. "If what we're doing is wrong, then what do you call all those bastards who murdered those nin-users? Is what they're doing is right? Is that what you're trying to tell me??!!"

"I didn't say such a thing—"

"Stop it," said Shiki firmly before turning back towards Konohamaru. "I won't kill you this once. See the truth for yourself. And once you've found it, you will know why we're doing just what we did. But…if you told anyone about us, even if I didn't command it, the others will kill you."

Konohamaru paled.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Uchiha Itachi parked his motorbike outside the village of Katokori before he paused at the entrance of the village, seeing the flames licking at the fortress of Gatou's, and hearing the cheers of the villagers in the distance before he sighed.

"So it's true…" he muttered.

Within the tree branches of a tree a little way away from Uchiha Itachi, Yugito and Shiki were having a rather serious conversation.

"Yugito, what are you keeping from me?" asked Shiki, turning towards her friend. "You've been acting strangely for some time now. What are you trying to hide from me?"

Yugito bit on her lower lip nervously before looking at the form of Uchiha Itachi in the distance before turning towards Shiki. "…a while back, I got a vision…" Shiki nodded. Part of Yugito's power is the ability to see the future, though it's not like she can control it, and she can only see flashes of it, and sometimes, the visions don't even make any sense. "In that vision, I saw you…and that ANBU captain…Itachi was his name, I think." Shiki frowned. "You two…were together."

Shiki's eyes widened. That is something that she had been trying to prevent, yet she somehow couldn't stop the mechanism otherwise known as her feet and body from hanging out with Itachi from time to time. "…that's not possible."

Yugito shrugged. "It's what I saw," she said. "I only told Neji and Gaara about it. But I think Shino suspects it too. Thus, we've been trying to find a way to stop the future from happening…somehow…"

A very long silence fell.

"Your visions have never lied before, Yugito," said Shiki seriously.

Yugito looked miserable at this point in time. "…I know."

A very long silence fell before Shiki sighed. "…I'll do something to stop it," she said at last. "I _know _that I can't be together with him even if I wished it otherwise. I'm not stupid. I know what I'm doing." She sighed. "Let's meet up with the others."

Yugito nodded before the two left the tree.

And down on the ground, one Uchiha Itachi blinked as he heard the unmistakable tinkle of a bell chime carried by the wind before he looked left and right, but saw nothing.

'_Huh? A bell chime?'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ragnarok watched up on a nearby hill as the people of Katokori celebrated the downfall of Gatou and watched as the fortress was burned down by the flames caused by the explosives that Shino had implanted within the fortress with a little help from his little friends.

Yugito gave a slight start as Haku stepped up next to her, the ice maiden watching the burning fortress before she spoke. "Can you tell me? Why did you involve yourself in the request this time around?" she asked.

Yugito stared at the burning fortress before she spoke. "I was always alone…after my friends died," she said at last. "Hakawa is one of the towns out there that feared nin-users, though it wasn't as bad as some of the other towns that we've seen." Haku nodded. "Before I met you guys, the people of Hakawa called me the demon's child there. And when my powers manifested itself, I became known as the Lightning Hands. No one understood my powers over lightning, death as well as my ability to see flashes of the future, though that fact is not known by anyone save for Kirabi, my best friend from my gang days. But then, it was then that I met Shiki."

_Do you want to come along? Are you not lonely?_

Yugito chuckled silently to herself. "She…was the first person that understood me," she said. "Not even Kirabi does. And back then, when my gang was…attacked…" She shook her head as if trying to get rid of the buried memories within her, and Haku watched silently. "Why did I do such a thing back then, I still don't understand. Probably it's to show them fear. Or maybe it is to avenge my fallen friends. But whatever the reason is, I completely gave into my rage. And as every nin-user knew, we have to control our emotions or our powers will end up controlling _us." _Haku nodded. "And that is when Shiki appeared. That night."

"Yeah," said Haku with a nod. "We all wondered why she disappeared that night, and returned later with you in tow. She never said anything about that, and we never asked her about it either."

"Seriously, I owed Shiki a lot," said Yugito, glancing at said girl who was standing next to Gaara. "All of us do. If she had never come along, all of us would probably be dead or worse."

Haku chuckled. "I agree," she said.

"Alright. Job's done," said Temari, stretching her muscles and cracking the bones in her neck. "Let's go back. I want my bed."

"True enough," said Tenten with a nod. "I'm tired too. Shiki, we're heading back. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," said Shiki, not taking her eyes off the burning fortress, and one by one, the members of Ragnarok walked back to the boathouse, leaving only Shiki and Yugito behind on the hill.

Yugito glanced at Shiki before stepping up next to her, and for several moments, neither one of the two spoke before Shiki broke the silence.

"Do you wish that you had followed your people to Death, Yugito?" asked Shiki at last.

Yugito turned a small smile to Shiki. "If I had done that, I wouldn't have met you, Shiki."

**

* * *

**"…_Yugito…! Run…!"_

"_Kirabi!"_

_Yugito turned rage-filled eyes towards the only survivor of the attackers since majority of them lay dead on the ground, with lightning burns all over their bodies, and Shiki knew instantly what had just transpired to them._

"_Just what did they ever do to you?! I'm the one that you wanted, right?! You said that you wouldn't harm them!"_

_The attacker smirked. "You took too long to make up your mind," he said. "Thus, our leaders decided to give you some incentive to…hurry up."_

_Yugito's face contorted in rage. "Damn you…!" Lightning started cackling in her hand, only for her to stop when she saw that Shiki had the guy down on his knees, one hand around the back of his neck, ready to break it in a moment's notice, faster than the eye could see._

"_Don't move," said Shiki calmly._

"_Don't interfere!" Yugito nearly screamed. "He's my prey!"_

"_You're not the only one that his master has done this to," said Shiki calmly, understanding Yugito's rage right this instant. "His master gave the orders to have my entire gang killed as well…two years ago." Yugito's face changed to one that of shock, and Shiki turned her attention towards the guy that she had in her grasp. "Is Ne working with Oto and Orochimaru?" She pulled down the collar of the coat only to see a black tattoo on his neck – part of the mark that branded Orochimaru's people – only that this mark is a fairly unusual mark with both Ne and Oto's marks combined as one._

"_Like hell I will tell you!" The man spat._

"_I see…" said Shiki calmly before turning towards Yugito. "Would you like to do the honours?"_

"_With pleasure," said Yugito coldly before a fairly ominous aura started surrounding her, and Shiki frowned inwardly. "You might want to step back. I can't control this very well yet."_

_Shiki nodded before stepping back, and she watched as the same ominous aura started surrounding the dead bodies on the ground before the bodies rise up on their own accord. Yugito snarled at the frightened man who looked as if he's ready to shit his own pants._

"_You killed my people, so I think that it's wise if both my people and your own comrades killed you with their own hands!" she snarled. "I'm not known as the 'Death Animator' among my own gang for nothing!"_

_Shiki watched as the man was literally torn apart from limb by limb by the bodies that Yugito had controlled by using her powers. 'I see… So this is the power of the chosen one of the Nibi no Nekomata…the Goddess of the Underworld and the Dead.'_

_The bodies that Yugito was controlling fell to the ground then, and Shiki saw the messed up remains of what was once a human male. She turned her attention towards Yugito only to see the blonde on her knees in the middle of the blood-soaked and rain-filled streets, cradling Kirabi's body in her arms._

"…_Kirabi…" Yugito nearly sobbed. "…I'm so sorry…! I'm so sorry!"_

"…_it…wasn't your fault…" Kirabi managed to choke out, knowing extremely well that he's dying. "Live…on…Yugito." And his eyes closed, never to open again._

"_Kirabi!"_

_Lightning flashed across the sky._

_A long while later, Yugito felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Shiki standing behind her, her hand on her shoulder, an understanding look on her face._

"_I'll help you bury them at the local graveyard," she said. "If you would like my help, that is."_

_Yugito bowed her head slightly. "…thank you."_

"…_and…" Yugito looked up at Shiki only to see that the girl had an outstretched hand to her. "Would you like to come along?"_

**

* * *

**'_That's right…' _thought Yugito as she followed Shiki to the boathouse where Tenten and Haku were hanging half out of the window, waving to them both, and Gaara was leaning against the doorframe with Hinata sitting on the side of the boathouse, her toes just skimming over the water of the river. Neji was sitting atop the rooftop of the boathouse, his hair getting tussled by the wind. _'I'm not alone anymore. They're not just my friends or comrades any longer…' _Yugito smiled to herself as she ran towards the boathouse, just behind Shiki. _'…they're my family.'_**_

* * *

_**

**_Upcoming Stories:_**

**_Different Beginnings (Harry Potter)_**

_FemHarry. What if Hilda Potter ran away from her relatives at the age of five, having had enough, and disappeared from the Ministry's sights ever since? Now, seven years later, the Girl-Who-Lived is back, yet she is more dangerous, and she seemed to have her own plans. Cedric/FemHarry. Semi-dark fic. Siding with Voldemort. Fake Prophecy. Dumbledore and Weasley bashing._

* * *

_**Preview for next chapter:**_

"_What is your name?"_

"_Igawaki Yui."_

"_Do you wish for vengeance?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Why?"_

"…_why? I…I can't remember…! Why…? M-Mika…my daughter… My beloved daughter…!"_

"_I see. What is your wish?"_

"_Please…take that woman…straight down to the pits of Hell!"_

"_I hear and deliver this vengeance."_


	10. A Plea for Vengeance

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Ten: A Plea for Vengeance**

_Narika_

"It's been a while since we've seen Isaribi," remarked Haku as she got off the back of Shiki's motorcycle as the redhead in mention brought her motorcycle to a stop outside a small house in the seaport town of Narika which was near the sea and well away from the town, and which was nearly falling to pieces. "I wonder how she is."

Shiki sighed to herself.

Isaribi was one of Haku's best friends even from before her time with Ragnarok, and the rest of Ragnarok have gotten acquainted with Isaribi when she was kidnapped four years ago during the human experimenting case by Amachi and Nakashita Toriya. Isaribi was one of those that miraculously survived, but the entire ordeal had changed her in more ways than one.

Shiki looked cautiously at Haku who was babbling about what Isaribi's going to say once she actually sees them. The redhead doesn't even want to imagine Haku's reaction when she found out that one Yakushi Kabuto who is indirectly involved with Isaribi's current state had been sighted recently. There's no telling what the ice maiden will do.

"Come on," said Shiki before cutting off the engine of her motorcycle and walking up to the house which is nearly falling to pieces. Heavens! It looked even worse from the last time that Shiki had seen it which is about four months ago. Because of her ordeal, the townspeople tended to be afraid of Isaribi, and the girl tends to keep away from the town as a result.

Haku followed Shiki silently to the door, bags of supplies in both hands which Haku and Shiki usually bough for Isaribi during their visits. Shiki knocked on the door which paint was peeling off, and there was a slight pause before the door slowly opened, and a teenage girl a few years older than them with dark hair and sapphire eyes with bandages bound around her head and part of her face was standing at the door in a blue dress.

Upon noticing who her visitors were, Isaribi's face broke into a bright smile before opening the door wider to allow both her visitors into her house. "Haku! Shiki! Long time no see! Come in."

Shiki shut the door behind her as both Haku and herself entered the apartment. Isaribi's apartment itself was extremely bare, and all that the one room apartment had is a bed, a table, a chair, a refrigerator as well as a bookshelf and some painting supplies.

"We've been busy lately." Haku explained as she stocked the food and cleaning supplies that she's bought for Isaribi into the wardrobes and refrigerator. "That's why we can only come now. Our boathouse is docked at the next town over."

"It's alright," said Isaribi with a smile and a slight shake of her head. "I'm just glad that you can even come. I don't get many visitors here." She smiled sadly.

Shiki smiled a little to herself before she walked up to Isaribi and Haku. "Isaribi, shall I help you with your bath?" she asked, and Isaribi looked hesitant. Every single time that they've came over, either Shiki or Haku will help Isaribi with her bath for certain reasons. The both of them are the only ones among Ragnarok who actually visits Isaribi as the others don't know her too well.

"I'll help to clean your house," said Haku, smiling at Isaribi. "So that you can have some privacy."

"Okay," said Isaribi with a nod before Haku handed Isaribi her clothes along with a clean towel which is one of the supplies that they have brought over before Isaribi and Shiki walked to the small bathroom in Isaribi's house which just had a small bath which is just large enough for a normal adult to sit cross-legged within as well as a showerhead and a sink, and nothing more.

Shiki let the water run into the bathtub, letting it fill it up whilst testing the water with her hand to ensure that it's warm enough for Isaribi before turning to the girl in question. "Alright. The water's ready. Undress and get in."

Isaribi was a little hesitant, but she soon obliged by slipping off her dress as well as the bandages around her face and neck which revealed scales beneath her bandages which is the main reason why she usually kept them hidden, and why Haku and Shiki have to help her with her bath.

Isaribi stepped into the bath, sighing in slight contentment as she soaked into the warm water, and Shiki scooped some water with a pail before dumping it over Isaribi's head, making her hair wet and shampooing her hair.

"How is the town treating you?" asked Shiki at last, shampooing Isaribi's hair and massaging her scalp at the same time.

Isaribi shrugged whilst keeping her eyes closed to prevent the shampoo from entering her eyes. "Like always," she said. "I keep out of their way, and they keep out of mine. They don't really bother me much now after both you and Haku paid them a 'personal visit' last year when a number of the shops refuse to render me service."

Shiki sighed. "I told you that you should have come with us four years ago," she said patiently. "It's much better than having to put up with all this shit in this town. It's not your fault what happened to you!" And she dumped some water over Isaribi's hair, rinsing the shampoo from her hair.

"I don't want to impose on you and Haku anymore than I already have to," said Isaribi as Shiki rubbed some shampoo into her hands before massaging around Isaribi's neck gently, the dark haired girl wincing in pain occasionally as a stray scale got yanked off accidentally. "Furthermore, I'm not a nin-user."

"Nonsense. You're mine and Haku's friend," said Shiki, shampooing the rest of Isaribi's body. "You wouldn't be imposing on us. I'm sure that the others will understand as well. And you needn't be a nin-user to be with Ragnarok."

"You're already helped me enough," said Isaribi quietly. "Both you and Haku. And Ragnarok as well. I don't want to impose on you. I want to depend on myself."

Shiki was silent as she dumped some water onto Isaribi to wash off the shampoo, and Isaribi got out of the bathtub as Shiki let the water go down the drain, Isaribi drying herself off.

"I'll wait outside whilst you change into your clothes," said Shiki, and Isaribi nodded as Shiki went outside the bathroom. A few minutes later, Isaribi emerged without her bandages, and the dark haired girl stood patiently as Shiki helped her to apply her bandages, and the two then walked into the main room of the apartment only to see that Haku was done with the cleaning, and was currently taking the trash outside.

"I still wish that you will come and live with us, Isaribi," said Haku with a sigh as she returned before unpacking the new blue curtains that she's made for Isaribi during her spare time before getting atop one of the dressers in the apartment and helping to put up the curtains. "I'm always worried about you. And we can only come and visit you once every few months. What if something happens to you?"

"I'll be fine." Isaribi reassured Haku. "Besides, your visits are more than enough for me."

Shiki's cellphone rang just then, and Isaribi and Haku turned towards the redhead as she answered the call before speaking rapidly into it and hanging up the phone. Shiki sighed and turned towards Haku. "Haku, that's from Gaara," she said. "We've got a request."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Nakawa_

"Who's the client?" asked Shiki as both herself and Haku stepped into the boathouse only to see the rest of Ragnarok crowding around Shino and his computer, the teen who was typing away on the keyboard of his computer.

"A woman named Igawaki Yui from the town of Hakawa," said Yugito, volunteering the information. "We've found some things out whilst you and Haku were away."

"Like?"

"This woman suffers from a case of memory disorder," said Temari. "Apparently, it all began when her daughter died in a car accident six months prior. She started forgetting things. Like which day of the week it is, and she even sometimes forgot that her daughter is already dead."

"Poor woman."

"So, what's the request? And are you sure that we can even take her request seriously?" asked Haku incredulously.

"We were incredulous about it as well," said Tenten with a shrug. "That's why we went to investigate it earlier when you two were out. The request is valid. Rock solid, in fact. And the target of her request is one Sawakaki Akiko, a nurse working at the hospital where Igawaki Mika had died at – the daughter of Igawaki Yui."

"So?" asked Haku, confused. "People die at hospitals all the time."

"Yes, but hear this," said Kankuro patiently. "Apparently, Igawaki Mika died because of negligence on Sawakaki Akiko's part. But Igawaki Yui can't prove it, especially with her memory disorder, and thus, she's turned to us. But seriously…" Kankuro turned towards Shino. "I think that the poor woman has even forgotten that she's contacted us."

"Also, Sawakaki Akiko is sent by the hospital to look after Igawaki Yui because her husband is working all day, and they can't afford to hire a private nurse to do that," added Gaara. "Talk about fate at work here. Poor woman. Having to face the person who had had a hand in causing her daughter's death every single day of her life."

Shiki frowned slightly. Cases like this leave a bad taste in her mouth. "Is Sawakaki doing anything to the woman?" she asked carefully. In cases like this, those who suffer from memory disorder are usually victims of petty theft, usually through cash.

"Yeah," said Gaara with a nod. "Her money. The money that her husband left her for daily expenses have been getting pilfered by Sawakaki left, right and center."

Shiki let out a frustrated sigh. "That decides it then," she said. "We're taking this case. Set the course for Hakawa."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Igawaki Residence  
__Hakawa_

"I'll come again soon, obaa-san," said Konohamaru, turning around and greeting his aunt goodbye with a slight bow.

Igawaki Yui smiled and nodded, returning his bow with one of her own. "You'll always be welcome here," she said. "And while you're at it, bring your parents along as well. I'm sure that your uncle would love to see his brother."

"Y-Yeah…" said Konohamaru with a weak smile.

He couldn't bring himself to tell his currently extremely forgetful aunt that both his parents have died _years ago _when he was still a kid. Her memory disorder is seriously getting worse, and he don't trust that nurse as well. But as it is, he can only spare one day off per week to visit his aunt, and the boat ride from Katokori to Hakawa isn't exactly cheap as well.

"I'll see you next week, obaa-san," said Konohamaru before leaving with a bow.

**

* * *

**Sawakaki Akiko smirked as she heard the sounds of that insufferable nephew of the Igawaki couple leaving the house. Unlike his uncle, the brat wasn't naive enough to believe that nice nurse outlook on her face. He clearly didn't trust her with his aunt, and he was right. But he didn't tell his uncle that, and for good reason as well. He wouldn't believe him, and besides, she was the only one who could look after his aunt.

"Found it!" Sawakaki Akiko let out a slight cheer as her fingers touched the wallet of Igawaki Yui, and she pulled it out before opening it only to see a couple of ten dollar bills within the wallet. "Oh well. She wouldn't remember how much was in here anyway."

She shrugged and took the money before shoving it into her pocket.

"So it really _was _you!" said an angry voice, and Akiko turned around only to see an angry Igawaki Yui standing at the doorway of her room. "Kono-chan was right! So you really are the one who had been taking my money!"

"What are you talking about?" said Akiko with a malicious smirk, getting to her feet. "It's what I deserved anyway. I'm helping to look after you for free. Surely I deserve some payment?"

"You did what you did to my daughter, and then you dare say that?!" Igawaki Yui looked ready to suffer from a heart attack if she isn't already. "How dare you?!"

"Be quiet, you," said Akiko, digging her pinky in one ear. "But never mind that. Aren't you missing something?" And she took out a leather bound book which is a journal that Yui had written in it every single day, and which contained endless memories about her one and only daughter.

"That is…!" Yui tried to grab the book, but it was held out of her reach, and Akiko pushed her roughly, and Yui fell to the ground. "Give that back!"

"You're already half-dead as it is!" said Akiko nastily. "Why do you still need this? Your daughter is already dead." And she laughed nastily as she left the house.

**

* * *

**Up on the rooftop, Neji and Yugito scowled to themselves. The two of them were the ones sent on the request this time around with Shiki, and the more that they listened to Akiko talking down to the poor woman like that, the angrier that they felt.

They can see just why Shiki was so pissed off that she decided to take on this request personally.

"I'm going to make her punishment very slow and painful when the time comes." Neji scowled so deeply that his eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hair.

"I'm with you there," said Yugito grimly. She then looked around just then only to blink in confusion when she noticed a certain redhead gone. "Huh? Where's Shiki? She was just here a moment ago."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sawakaki Akiko hmmed a slow tune to herself as she walked along the city suburbs. The skies were dark as the sun had already set a few hours ago, and she decided to take a shortcut to the hospital where she and her boyfriend work at. The only reason why she had even become a nurse in the first place is because of her boyfriend whom she had been going out with ever since high school.

Akiko took out the leather bound book that she's taken from that woman, and sneered to herself silently as she saw that pictures of that woman and her daughter were pasted on the cover and proceeded to throw it into the trashcan near her, or at least, she _tried to._

A strong hand caught her wrist just then, and startled, she turned only to meet cold blue eyes belonging to that of a redhead who don't look older than sixteen, yet she gives off an aura that said 'mess with me, and you die'.

"That don't belong to you," said the redhead coldly. "Didn't anyone teach you not to take things that don't belong to you?" And she twisted Akiko's wrist so that she dropped the book into the hand of the redhead.

"Damn you…" Akiko cursed to herself, rubbing her bruised wrist. "Who the hell are you?! Stop sticking your nose into others' business!" And she whipped out a pocketknife from within her pocket and swung it dangerously at the redhead. "Or I'll carve that pretty face of yours up!"

The redhead merely looked on coolly before she grabbed the blade of the knife with her bare hand, not even flinching, and Akiko watched, stunned, as the redhead grabbed the knife out of her hand with the blade.

Akiko can only stare. And for the first time in her life, she felt afraid. Very much afraid. This girl…whoever she is…she isn't human.

"Damn you…" Akiko cursed to herself. "Don't let me see you again!"

And she took off down the alley.

Namikaze Shiki stared at the departing back of the nurse, a scowl visible on her features. It is people like that nurse that she can't stand. Serving in a profession that is supposed to help people, and yet, she does the exact opposite. It is hypocrites like her that she can't stand.

Shiki's eyes softened just then as she looked at the book in her hand. The woman clearly loves her daughter a lot which could be seen by the pictures that were painstakingly carefully cut out and pasted onto the cover of the book which is pictures of Igawaki Yui and her daughter.

"Shiki."

Shiki turned slightly as Neji appeared by her just then. "Why did you take off like that?" asked the Hyuuga in confusion. "Yugito is still at the house."

"My apologies," said Shiki. "Just a little something to take care of." She turned towards Neji. "Let's pay Igawaki Yui a second visit after our first visit mere days ago. It's time to carry out our job."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Igawaki Residence  
__Hakawa_

"Mika…" Igawaki Yui sobbed to herself as the pictures of her high school daughter were spread all over the table. "Mika…"

There was a slight breeze just then, and Yui looked up just then only to see a redhead girl standing before her with a raven haired boy and a blonde girl on either side of her. All three even seemed to be around her daughter's age.

"Who…are you?"

Namikaze Shiki sighed a little. She knew it. The woman had completely forgotten about Shiki's first visit to the woman four days ago when she was alone in the house when Shiki wanted to know more about the current situation at hand.

"You didn't remember our last encounter." Shiki stated. She then held out a piece of paper on which was drawn Ragnarok's symbol which is the one that they had used for their site. "But do you perhaps remember this?"

Igawaki Yui can only stare for a few minutes at the symbol before a flash of memories started flooding her mind. Talk about the mysterious group that the ANBU had been after for close to five years now at this point in time which led to her contacting them to carry out justice for her daughter's death. The visit of their leader four days ago when she had talked the most that she had ever since her daughter's death, talking about Mika, and finding the leader of Ragnarok a lot like her precious daughter. And the terms that carried with the contract made with Ragnarok that Namikaze Shiki had told her.

Shiki smiled to herself as she saw recognition enter Yui's eyes before handing her the book that Akiko had taken from her. Yui's eyes widened as she saw the book and practically snatched it from Shiki. "This belongs to you," said Shiki. She studied Yui for a few moments before sighing. "Do you still want to take revenge on her?"

Yui looked up at Shiki and nodded. "…hai," she said.

Shiki nodded. "Very well," she said. "We'll be on our way then."

"Wait." Shiki, Yugito and Neji stopped in their tracks before they turned towards Yui who was looking at Shiki with a strange look on her face. "You look so much like Mika…save for the hair. You even kind of act like her. Kind-hearted, yet you don't show that kindness to most people save for those closest to you." Shiki was startled as she felt Yui cupped her face with her hands. Yui smiled a motherly smile at Shiki. "I'm so sorry. But you just look so much like Mika that I can't help it."

Shiki smiled inwardly to herself. Is this what a mother's touch feels like?

She doesn't remember her own mother, seeing as how she had died when Shiki was barely a year old. And after that, she was bounced from foster home to foster home before Jiraiya had found her in the city of Nariya. Jiraiya was her godfather and her guardian, but he still isn't her parent.

"I would love it…" said Yui, smiling gently at Shiki. "I would love it if you would call me 'Mom'."

Neji and Yugito froze up next to Shiki. What would their much esteemed leader do for a request like this? They knew that Shiki don't usually go that far for their clients. To her, a job is just a job unless it's someone like Isaribi whom one of her members knew on a personal level, then she will get involved personally.

For a long time, no one spoke before Shiki broke the silence, her soft voice breaking the silence. "…Mom. I'm back." She then stepped away from Yui as the woman in question smiled a motherly smile before turning towards a stunned Yugito and Neji. "Let's go."

This is the last thing that Shiki can at least do for Igawaki Yui, so that she can at least have some happy memories of her daughter, even if she _isn't_ Igawaki Mika.

Memories of her daughter…are all that Igawaki Yui has left after all.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Hospital  
__Hakawa_

"Honey, you're doing so well lately." Sawakaki Akiko drawled, her arms draped over the shoulders of her doctor boyfriend. "Should we get married soon?"

Her boyfriend stood up all of a sudden, nearly throwing Akiko off balance. "Whoever said that?"

"Huh?"

Akiko was stunned as her boyfriend suddenly seemed to morph into a raven haired teen with strange eyes who had a tight grip on her arm. "Who are you? Let go of me! It hurts!"

Hyuuga Neji smirked as he dragged Akiko with him, and Akiko can only stare as the surroundings of the hospital disappeared, and what seemed to be one of the streets in Hakawa appeared, and Neji dragged Akiko to the middle of the road where an ambulance could be seen approaching them.

Akiko panicked before trying to get her arm out of Neji's grasp. "Let go of me! Let go of me! The ambulance is coming! Let go of me!"

The headlights of the ambulance seemed to grow brighter, and she let out a short scream as the ambulance miraculously went through Neji as if he didn't even exist and rammed straight into her, throwing her a good few feet away where she lay, groaning on the road.

"Help…me…"

The sound of the doors of the ambulance opening could be heard, and a blonde girl as well as a blue haired female with strange eyes both wearing paramedics' outfits stood over her, strange smirks on their faces.

"Poor thing…" said the blonde with mock concern. "Looks like it hurts. What should we do?"

"There's nothing that we can do," said the blue haired girl. "Just leave her alone."

It dragged up several memories for Akiko just then, especially when Igawaki Mika was first brought into her hospital all those months back as an accident victim.

"_BP and blood levels are dropping!"_

"_Shit! We're losing her!"_

"_There's nothing that we can do. Just leave her alone."_

"You're…joking, right?" said Akiko weakly, pushing herself into a sitting position. "What…did I do to deserve this? And where is this?"

"This isn't a world that you know," said Neji coolly. "Yugito's ability to alter dimensions enables her to do many things. This is just one of them."

"You can't be serious… Just what…did I do to deserve this?"

Neji took one look at her and sneered. "It's no good," he said with a shake of his head. "She still refuses to admit to her sins."

"Neji is right," said the blonde girl with a nod. "This girl…she won't own up to her own wrongdoings."

Akiko was taken aback just then as a redhead appeared next to her just then, and she recognised her immediately as the one who had taken the book from her a few hours earlier. "You are…! Who are you?"

"That's right," said Hyuuga Neji with a nod. "This is your first time meeting us, isn't it? You should have expected that we will turn up to claim your life anytime soon…especially with what you've done."

"Who…are you?"

"Ragnarok," said Yugito and Hinata in unison. "This…is your punishment."

Akiko can only gape as she heard that infamous name. It can't be.

"The game is over, Sawakaki Akiko," said Shiki, kneeling by Akiko. "It's time for you to wake up from your dream." She placed one hand on her shoulder. "I've come to deliver a vengeance."

**

* * *

**Shiki took one last look at the broken, bleeding and crumpled body lying by the side of the road in this part of Hakawa before tearing her eyes away from the sight. Granted, she may have gone a little too far in this case, but as far as she was concerned, this girl deserved what she got.

"Let's go."

Hinata, Neji and Yugito exchanged looks with one another before tagging after their leader.

_Justice has been served._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Airport  
__Japan_

"First visit here, sir?" asked the customs officer who was checking the passport, glancing at the man who was cloaked from head to toe in a long beige coat, dark sunglasses, a cap, along with bandages concealing the bottom half of his face as well as gloves on his hands and black boots. He can barely see anything of this man's body at all. Now, Japan might be cold and all, but this is ridiculous!

"Yes," said the man, his voice sounding rather muffled, as if he had a cold or something.

"Business or pleasure?"

"Pleasure."

"Very well," said the officer with a nod, stamping the passport before handing it back to the man who picked up his suitcase at the same time that he took his passport. "Welcome to Japan."

The man gave a slight tip of his hat before walking away before standing in the middle of the airport. A silver haired young man with his hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a high collared dark blue coat approached him.

"I'm here to receive you, my lord," said Yakushi Kabuto before a smirk broke out on his face. "Welcome back to Japan, Orochimaru-sama."

* * *

_A/N: Sorry, no Itachi/Shiki in this chapter. Most of this chapter was influenced from an episode in the Jigoku Shoujo live action series, can't remember which one. And so, Orochimaru is back in Japan and in the picture at last, and this means that the action will be heating up!_

_**Preview for next chapter:**_

"_What is your name?"_

"_Isaribi."_

"_Do you wish for vengeance?"_

"_Yes. And it's not for myself as well. That man__…that monster…! He doesn't even deserve to live!"_

"_I see. What is your wish?"_

"_Please__…take that man…straight down to the pits of Hell!"_

"_I hear and deliver this vengeance."_

* * *

_**Upcoming Stories:**_

_**Vim and Vigor (Prince of Tennis)**_

_FemRyo. Yukimura Seiichi is the Prince of Japan. Echizen Rika is an agent from a secret organisation sent to protect him. But things soon grew complicated when Yukimura fell for Rika without knowing her true identity, and complications arouse when assassins soon came for his life._


	11. Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Hiraiko_

It was late at night, but Aburame Shino was still sitting before his computer, a slight frown on his face as he tapped furiously on the keyboard of his computer, trying to figure out the strange happenings recently regarding the black market as well as the underworld society.

As Ragnarok's spy and computer expert, he made it his job to know everything that there is to know about the black market as well as the underworld society, and Shiki herself had numerous informants all over the place, and that includes within the underworld society as well.

It was currently late at night, and Shino looked at the clock hanging on the wall which read: _05:28am._

The gentle waves of the lake that the boathouse was docked at were lapping against the sides gently, and nearly everyone in Ragnarok was asleep. _Nearly _everyone because their much esteemed captain is currently sitting on the rooftop of the boathouse in the night air, fiddling with her computer. In fact, Shiki rarely uses computers unless she's searching for some information or something or the other, and she has been using her computer rather often as of late.

Their much esteemed captain isn't as good with computers like Shino is, but she is skilled enough with computers to do some simple hacking and encrypting as well as gathering information and the like. What would one expect from someone who is practically raised by Jiraiya, the King of Perverts as well as the notable spymaster?

Shino frowned and leaned back into his chair, massaging his neck a little as it is getting a little strained from the long hours that he had spent sitting before his computer. The only light visible is the table lamp which he's using, and his eyes are starting to hurt even with his sunglasses off. Shino usually had his sunglasses off whenever he's only around his friends, and the sunglasses will be back on once he's out in public. It took the bug master four years travelling around with Ragnarok before he felt relaxed enough to show his friends his eyes.

Shino stifled a yawn with one hand before reaching for the cup of coffee sitting on the table and took a sip, not taking his eyes off the computer screen which seemed to be full of codes which made little to no sense to anyone else, but it made a whole lot of sense to Shino.

'_Something's not quite right,' _thought Shino, clicking away on the mouse as the black screen with jade green wordings simply flew up the screen as he did so. _'What has made the black market react this way all of a sudden? Just a week ago, Phoenix Enterprises is on the top of the black market listing for drugs and arms. Now, they're somewhere in the middle, and Phoenix Enterprises is among the most powerful in the black market. And this weird group – Snake Inc – is right at the top, dealing with arms, drugs and whatnot. The last time that this happened is when…' _Shino's eyes widened in horror as he recalled only one occasion when something like this had happened with the black market. _'It can't be…!'_

_Beep._

A message beep from his computer sounded just then, along with a pop-up message which stated 'You've got one new message!' along with the mailbox icon.

**XXXXXX**

Shiki sighed a little as she sat cross-legged on the rooftop of the boathouse, letting the night wind blow through her hair as she fiddled about with her computer. For some reason, she had problems sleeping that night and decided to go to the internet online chat forum that she had been frequenting lately – Midnight Sun.

Shiki had never really counted herself as a forum fan, but she had been quite taken with that online friend that she had met on Midnight Sun which goes by the handle of RedEye001. And to her surprise, when she had logged onto the forum, her 'friend' was online.

_Aurora: Night owl, are you?_

RedEye001 typed back not even a few moments later.

_RedEye001: I could say the same thing for you. I can't sleep._

_Aurora: Same here._

_RedEye001: Seems like we both really do have something in common then._

_Aurora: (smirking face) Don't get too beyond your head. I just have a lot of things on my mind._

_RedEye001: Me too._

_Aurora: Don't you have work in the morning? Won't you be too tired?_

_RedEye001: Don't worry about little old me. My boss won't give me too much trouble about that seeing as how I'm just about doing EVERYONE'S work nowadays. I wonder… Is my boss TRYING to kill me?_

_Aurora: Hahaha. Maybe._

Back at ANBU headquarters in Akatsuki's office-cum-meeting room where more than half of the members have practically camped there that night as they were all too tired to drag themselves back to their apartments or their dormitories, Itachi smiled a little.

Chatting with this 'Aurora' always manages to calm him down. 'He' or 'she' had the same effect that Shiki had on him. Though now that he thinks about it, Shiki _did _let slip awhile back that she goes to the same online forum that he uses, and that she had met 'him' on this forum. Itachi had a suspicion that 'Aurora' is actually Shiki. Both 'Aurora' and Shiki have the same 'voice' if you catch what I mean.

Itachi then smiled. If Aurora is indeed Shiki, then he is not complaining. It might allow him to have an insight of what Shiki is really thinking. Itachi isn't stupid. He knew that there are a lot of things that Shiki didn't tell him. He wanted to get to know her more.

A cellphone's ringtone sounded just then, and Itachi looked up only to see the faint blue light of someone's cellphone's LCD screen shining in the dark room of the Akatsuki's office. And said light came directly from the couch where Kisame had crashed against, his head covered by his coat.

"_Long lost words whisper slowly to me… Still can't find what keeps me here… When all this time—"_

Itachi blinked owlishly. He didn't expect for Kisame to have Evanescence's song of Haunted as his ringtone. He didn't even _think _that Kisame actually _listens _to her songs! A hand shot out from under the coat that Kisame is currently huddled under, searching for his cellphone before his hand reaches the currently vibrating cellphone before bringing it beneath the coat.

And Itachi heard a tired voice croaking out a, "Hello?" sounding half-awake and extremely tired as he did so.

Less than thirty seconds later, that same tired voice suddenly changed as Kisame nearly roared, "NANI?!" and he sat up immediately, his coat immediately flying off his head and shoulders, and Itachi blinked, halfway typing a reply message to Aurora as he eyed his best friend and vice-captain.

Kisame scowled as he listened to whoever is on the other end of the line and nodded. "Alright. Thanks for the information, Zetsu." _Click._

"Kisame?" Itachi called out.

Kisame glanced up only to see that Itachi is currently at his desk, and the water nin-user raised a brow but didn't say anything regarding Itachi's late nights. "Get the rest of the team up, Itachi," said Kisame. He then sighed. "I've got some news that will definitely wake them up. A criminal that the ANBU had been after for the past five or six years had been sighted in Japan."

Itachi frowned. "And that is…?"

Kisame smirked.

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Hiraiko_

Shiki frowned a little as the message from RedEye001 came up a little hastily:

_RedEye001: Sorry that I have to cut our meeting short. But I have to go. Work unfortunately._

Shiki frowned. Somehow, this sounds _really _familiar…

_Work?_

_Unfortunately._

"Shiki."

Shiki turned at the sound of her own name only to see Shino standing behind her, his hands stuffed in the pockets of the black jacket that he was wearing. Seriously, Shiki hadn't seen Shino sleeping more than five hours a day ever since a week ago as he spends most of his time at the computer. Granted, Shino _always _spends time before the computer, but he at least takes time to take a walk or something in the past. Just what is he busy 'researching' anyway?

"Shino?" muttered Shiki, one eyebrow raised as she closed the top of her computer before turning around to face him. "What is it?"

Shino both looked and sounded very tired as he answered, giving out a small sigh as he did so. "I've been researching and monitoring the situation of the black market for some time now ever since Arashi and Sasame told us of the…strange situation with the black market."

Shiki raised an eyebrow. "Like?"

Shino sighed. "Just a week ago, Phoenix Enterprises is on the top of the black market listing for drugs and arms," he said, and Shiki nodded. She knew of Phoenix Enterprises. While they're extremely powerful, they're not a bad group. They don't sell their supplies to people with bad intentions. "Now, they're somewhere in the middle of the black market list, and Phoenix Enterprises is among the most powerful in the black market. And this weird group – Snake Inc – is right at the top, dealing with arms, drugs and whatnot."

Shiki frowned. "Snake?" she echoed. "I've never heard of them before. Who are they?"

Shino shook his head. "I have no idea as well," he said. "All that I know is that they've just turned up out of the blue approximately two weeks ago, and quickly rose to the top ranks of the black market. But this sudden change with the black market isn't usual. The last time that something like this happened is when…" He trailed off, and Shiki knew what he wanted to say.

The last time that something like this happened within the black market, it is when Orochimaru was wrecking havoc. But it couldn't be him now, could it?

"Is that all?" asked Shiki, making a mental note to contact her godfather and to get him to investigate this 'Snake Inc' thoroughly.

"No," said Shino with a quick shake of his head. "We've got a request."

"This late at night?" asked Shiki with a sigh. "Who is the client?"

"Isaribi-san," said Shino, and Shiki raised a brow. What on earth did Isaribi wanted to contact Ragnarok via their 'usual means' for when she could have contacted either herself or Haku if she needed help with something?

"Who is her target?" asked Shiki cautiously. She knew of only two people whom Isaribi wanted revenge on, and those two are currently nowhere to be found, and also happens to be on the ANBU's list of most wanted, and on theirs as well.

"Someone that we have been searching for as well," said Shino innocently, examining his fingernails, a slight smirk tugging at the ends of his lips, and Shiki growled low in her throat, not in the mood nor does she have the time for games.

"Shino, stop speaking in riddles and tell me the _name," _said Shiki with a growl.

"Fine, fine," said Shino, raising both hands up in mock surrender. "The target this time is someone that we've been after for some time now. He is also on ANBU's number one spot of most wanted as well as on _our _list of most wanted as well."

Shiki froze. There is only one person out there who had that number one spot on both ANBU and Ragnarok's lists of most wanted. She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Shino. Is it…?"

"Yeah," said Shino with a slight nod, a smile tugging at the ends of his lips. "It's that snake." A shadow of what seemed like a smirk spread across his face. "Orochimaru is back in Japan."

**XXXXXX**

"Orochimaru is back in Japan?" echoed Temari as Ragnarok peered at the screen of Shino's laptop which was opened to that of a digital photograph of a disguised Orochimaru walking through Customs at the airport, though anyone with eyes can see that it's Orochimaru as his snake-like eyes hadn't changed, even with the high-collared beige trench coat concealing half his face.

"Yeah," said Shino with a nod, before clicking on the photograph and enlarging it. "I've gotten it from Arashi this morning when I've gotten wind of that snake's presence in Japan."

Kankuro growled. "That snake sure has a lot of guts for returning to Japan after what he's done!" he growled, balling a fist up. "I hadn't gotten back at him for what he's done to us!"

"Calm down, Kankuro," said Temari, placing one hand on her brother's shoulder. "Let's hear what Shiki and Shino have to say about this."

Shiki nodded to Temari before turning towards the rest of Ragnarok from her place on the window ledge, one leg raised up. "I sent Arashi and Sasame on a job some time back. To track down Orochimaru. That snake has just interfered with us for the last time."

"Apparently, Isaribi-san knows that too," said Shino. "The request this time is from her."

Haku sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" she muttered. "She would want revenge on him. Orochimaru and Amachi are the ones who have just about ruined her life."

"She was one of the victims in that human experimental incident four years back," explained Shiki as a few of her friends were looking confused. "Apparently, she was the only survivor and was the only one lucky enough to have the effects of the experiment reversed. But the damage is still there. And as a result of that human experimental experiment, Isaribi's own family and friends threw her out. That's how Haku and I have found her four years ago actually."

Hinata sighed. "So are we taking the request?" she asked, turning to look at Shiki who was perched on the windowsill.

"Do you even need to ask me?" asked Shiki incredulously, and everyone grinned. "We've been after Orochimaru for how long now? Four years now, I do believe. Maybe even longer. Now that he's back in Japan and that we have a solid lead on him, we're not letting go of the chance." She turned towards Shino. "I know that we knew Isaribi personally, but it's best to make this official. Send the usual to her."

Shino nodded. "Okay."

**

* * *

**And several miles away, a cellphone beeped with the message tone and Isaribi flipped opened her cellphone only to see the message:

'_Your request has been received and will be carried out soon._

_Ragnarok.'_

Isaribi smiled.

'_Shiki. Haku. Thank you.'_

**XXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters  
__Leaf City_

"Orochimaru is back in Japan?" echoed Sasori and Tsunade nodded.

"Kisame had news from one of his spies in the middle of the night," said Tsunade irritably, and Kisame grinned sheepishly. He had been the one to ring Tsunade in the middle of the night to inform her of the latest turn of events after all. "Apparently, that damned snake is here on some kind of business deal. He's probably going to start building up his 'empire' once more after we've demolished most of his businesses years ago and Ragnarok have killed off most of his 'business partners' and underlings and he was forced to flee Japan. If Ragnarok hadn't been such a pain in our side for years, I would have sent them an award of commendation to thank them for what they've done." She said sarcastically, and the Akatsuki exchanged looks. Tsunade cleared her throat. "Anyway, there is going to be a formal party and dance of some kind at Nirako – one of the major cities which is approximately twenty miles away from Leaf City. Many important people will be there, along with a few members of the mafia, and without a doubt, Orochimaru will be there as well. I want him caught! He's finally back in Japan and we are going to get him…one way or another. Failure is not an option here!"

"Hai!"

**XXXXXX**

_Dance Hall, Labelle Hotel  
__Nirako_

Itachi folded his arms across his chest as he stood in a corner, his fingers tapping in a steady rhythm. He was wearing a white collared long sleeved shirt with a black coat over it with trousers and black boots. All over the dance hall, the ANBU agents were in formal party clothing with the communicators in their ears concealed cleverly to prevent suspicion.

Kisame who was beside his best friend, teammate, partner and captain sighed. "Oi, Itachi. Just ask someone to dance already, for the love of kami-sama!"

"We're not here to socialise, Kisame," muttered Itachi, scanning his eyes all over the dance hall in search for Orochimaru.

"And Orochimaru is nowhere in sight either," said Kisame patiently. "Come on, your brother's team is on the lookout with Shikamaru and Kiba outside in the car. They'll inform us if they see anything. Just go and have some fun for a change."

Itachi was about to say something to that when he caught sight of a red-haired teen around sixteen wearing a dark blue spaghetti strap dress with slits down the sides. Her hair was done up in a French twist with the rest of her hair trailing down her back.

Itachi can only stare. _She _is the last person whom he will imagine to be present at this party, which last that he'd heard, is by invitation only. Itachi and his team as well as his younger brother's team are only here because the ANBU Chief knew the host of this party who also happens to be the owner of this very famous hotel, and the hotel owner owed the Chief a few high favours and agreed to help him out.

"Oi. What's wrong?" asked Kisame, nudging Itachi in the side before he looked towards the direction where Itachi is looking at and he whistled slightly. "Man, it ought to be illegal for a girl to be _that _good looking!" His eyes suddenly widened, and Kisame grinned slyly to himself. "I see… Itachi, you're interested in her? And here I am thinking that you're gay or something!"

Itachi tore his eyes away from his target of interest and glared at Kisame. "For your information, _I am not gay!" _he hissed, causing several people near him to look at him strangely. "And secondly, I know that girl. I'm just surprised to see her here, that's all. I didn't think that she'll be here."

Kisame nodded. He _had _heard stories from Deidara and Sasori about some girl whom Itachi had been hanging out with whenever he had the day off. Though with Deidara, he knew enough to take his high tales with a pinch of salt, though he didn't think that Sasori will lie about things like this.

Kisame isn't blind.

He can tell that Itachi carried romantic feelings for this girl, even though Itachi hadn't said anything about her. And he also knew that the block of ice currently standing next to him probably hadn't even _realised _his own feelings!

Kisame sighed inwardly at that. What is it with geniuses and idiots?

Well, the least that he could do is to at least do some matchmaking, though he knew that it probably isn't appropriate to do so in the middle of a mission. But he is sure that Tsunade wouldn't skin him alive for this, considering the fact that Orochimaru hadn't appeared yet, and not to mention the fact that even their ANBU Commander thinks that Itachi is too much of a loner as it is. Even Sasuke isn't as bad as his brother as he goes to the bar together with his teammates every Friday night if they weren't on missions.

"Come on, Itachi. Go and ask her for a dance," said Kisame, nudging Itachi gently in the ribs.

Itachi stared at Kisame like he had suddenly grown two new heads. "We're in the middle of a _mission!" _he hissed. "M-I-S-S-I-O-N! Or do you not know what that word means?"

"Orochimaru isn't here yet, nor has he been sighted yet," said Kisame patiently. "Just go and relax for a change. I'll let you know once things change. Just go." And he pushed Itachi forwards gently.

Itachi sighed before he placed his half-drank glass of champagne on a passing waiter's tray before walking towards the direction of Namikaze Shiki who looked slightly startled at seeing him. If truth be told, this is also the first time that he had seen Shiki wearing a skirt or a dress and even makeup, and she looked very different from her usual self.

"I didn't think that I'll actually see you here," said Itachi with a smirk.

Shiki smiled. "Me either," she said. "One of my friends, in his infinite wisdom, decided to drag me here, and in his exact words, 'teach me how to socialise'!" Shiki scowled at this. It wasn't a total lie as Neji did say that this is what he wanted Shiki to do during this request which is the reason why all of her friends have suddenly disappeared into thin air, though she can still sense them somewhere around. "What about you? Work?"

Itachi flinched slightly. "Kind of," he admitted, knowing that he can't lie to Shiki without the girl detecting his lie. It was like the girl had a lie detector system somewhere on her. He then smiled and held out one arm. "May I?"

Shiki smiled. "Why not?" she said before the two stepped out onto the dance floor where several couples were already dancing.

Itachi was taught how to actually dance as that is part of ANBU training so that they can blend in with the surroundings and not attract any attention, and he was pleasantly surprised to learn that Shiki is a very good dancer as well. The band changed the music to a slow romantic sounding music just then, and Itachi guided his partner through the dance steps.

**

* * *

**Kisame grinned as he saw Itachi took the initiative to ask the girl for a dance, and chibi Kisame was doing a little tap dance in his head, and it was taking him all his self-control to not start dancing on the spot just then.

"Yes! I knew that you had it in you!" He whooped silently so that he doesn't attract any attention to himself.

"Kisame. What has gotten you so happy?" asked a voice, and Kisame nearly jumped as Konan appeared next to him, wearing a red spaghetti strap dress.

"Don't do that!" Kisame said, clutching his chest. "You could give a guy a heart attack!"

"My apologies," said Konan, though the smile on her face suggested otherwise. "But what has gotten you so happy?"

"Over there."

Konan raised an eyebrow, but looked towards the direction where Kisame is pointing only to see her much esteemed captain dancing with some girl. "Is that…Itachi? What the hell is he doing, dancing with that girl? We're not supposed to be socialising with the guests here!"

"Come on, Konan, relax a little," said Kisame with a groan. "How Nagato can stand you, I'll never know."

_SMACK! _

"Ow!" Kisame whined, rubbing the bruise on his head from Konan's slap and the scowl that the only female member of the Akatsuki gave him. "Anyway, Itachi doesn't socialise enough as it is. It wouldn't hurt for him to have some fun for a change. He rarely does anything but work as it is. I'm sure that Tsunade-sama wouldn't mind."

"That's true," said Konan with a slight smile as she turned back towards her captain. "But…" She frowned to herself as she studied the girl that her captain is currently dancing with. _'I could have sworn that I've seen that girl somewhere about before…'_

**

* * *

**Meanwhile with Gaara and Neji, the two boys exchanged looks before studying the guy with Shiki closely.

'_If I'm not mistaken, that guy is the ANBU Captain of one of the teams that is currently pursuing us,' _thought Gaara. _'Shiki had better be careful…for both their sakes.'_

**

* * *

**Half-an-hour on the dance hall, and both Itachi and Shiki could take it no longer.

Thus why the two were currently standing in one of the balconies attached to the dance hall which overlooks the gardens of the hotel that they were in. The garden was extremely large with several beautiful rose trees and shrubs and fountains.

"It's quiet here," said Shiki with a slight smile tugging at the ends of her lips.

"I agree," said Itachi with a nod of his head. "Whenever I feel stressed out, I whistle. Like this." And a slow fleeting sound escaped from his lips, sounding rather like some bird. Itachi smiled at Shiki. "My best friend taught me how to whistle like this. That was before I've joined the ANBU and he died during that rebellion in the city of Hakawa all those years ago." Itachi smiled sadly. "His name was Shisui. He was actually my cousin. But he died."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be," said Itachi with a shake of his head. "It's been so long now. I have a new life and a new calling now. The whistle is just one of my last memories of him."

"I see," said Shiki with a smile. "He's someone important to you, isn't he?"

"That's right," said Itachi. "What about you, Shiki? Do you have someone important to you as well?"

"Yeah," said Shiki, nodding, thinking of her friends in Ragnarok. "Many of them."

Itachi was about to say something to that when there was an interruption in the form of a sandy blonde haired girl wearing a white dress similar to that of what Shiki was wearing. The girl glanced at Itachi before shrugging slightly and turning towards Shiki who looked a little startled to see the girl.

"Shiki," said the girl calmly. "Let's go. It's time."

Shiki nodded before she turned and smiled apologetically at Itachi. "Sorry," she said. "Like all good things, this has to end."

"Do you have to go?" asked Itachi before he winced. He didn't want to sound so…whiny.

Shiki sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately," she said. "See you."

The blonde haired girl, meanwhile, was tapping her foot a tad bit impatiently, yet at the same time, casting Itachi wary looks for some strange reason, and Itachi had to wonder if he had done something to offend Shiki's friend unintentionally.

"Come on, Shiki," said the girl before she tugged on Shiki's hand. "Let's go."

Itachi frowned to himself as he stared at the departing backs of the two girls as they exited the dance hall hurriedly, but he let it pass. After all, he had seen stranger things than that. No, the only thing that is bothering him is that he could have sworn that he'd seen that friend of Shiki's somewhere about, only that he can't remember where. And another thing is that he had the strangest feeling that Shiki is here for a 'purpose' of some sort.

But what?

**XXXXXX**

Gaara frowned to himself as he sat on one of the low branches of the tree where he, along with the others were all waiting for Shiki and Temari to arrive. He was currently bounding bandages around the palm of his right hand before doing the same to his left hand. He would rather not leave behind any blood traces that might possibly led ANBU to their doorstep.

He had been thinking about the past a lot…of a time long past when he had first met Shiki eight years ago in the town of Hiraiko. That is where Shiki had saved him and his siblings, and where they had made their first friend.

"It will all end tonight," said Neji from beside him, looking up towards the night sky to see the full moon. All of Ragnarok had changed out of their 'party' clothes into their normal clothes so that they were able to move about easily. "The moon night is beautiful." He breathed. "A beautiful night to witness the demise of the monster that they called Orochimaru."

Tenten chuckled darkly, playing with a dagger. "Poetry doesn't suit you, Neji," she said.

Gaara smirked at this. They were all tense. He closed his eyes before opening them again. "Seriously, all of us owed Shiki a great deal," he said. "Of course, Orochimaru as well." He nearly spat that name out. Gaara then smirked as he saw Shiki and his sister walking towards them before he slapped one hand onto his lap and pulled himself to his feet. "Let's roll!"

**XXXXXX**

_Abandoned Mansion  
__Outskirts of Nirako_

"This is the place?" asked Hinata with a frown as they entered this dust covered mansion with ivies and creepers growing on the outside, snapping on her flashlight to at least enable some vision.

"Yeah. This used to be one of Orochimaru's old hideouts and one of his safe houses," said Shino, kneeling down on the ground whilst tapping away on his computer. "I doubt that the ANBU even knew that this place existed as Orochimaru had it built in secret back then when he's on the run from the ANBU and from us. But they'll find this place soon enough. I'll estimate that we only have approximately five hours tops before the ANBU finds this place."

"You got the map?" asked Neji, turning towards Shino.

Shino nodded. "They're underground," he said. "The 'real' rooms are underground. That's why this place looked abandoned and looks like some ghosts are inhabiting this mansion instead. There are about six levels underground. And an electronic door with pass-codes locks is the entrance to each underground level."

Shiki nodded slowly. "And if I know Orochimaru, he'll have some of his lapdogs guarding those 'doors' in case of unwanted visitors. In this case, us."

"Well, we'll worry about it when the time comes," said Kankuro calmly. "Frankly, I'm hoping for some enemies. Followers of Orochimaru are no friends of mine!"

Shiki smirked. "Let's go!" she said. "Shino, I need you to unlock the electronic locks for each door that we come across via hacking." Shino nodded. "Let's go!"

**XXXXXX**

_Underground Level One  
__Abandoned Mansion_

"Come on, Shino, hurry up!" Kankuro urged as the lot of them were before a red door which is locked with an electronic panel next to it which Shino is currently trying to hack through, with cables attached to the electronic panel from his computer.

A tick appeared on Shino's head as he tapped away on the computer. "Can you be quiet? I can't concentrate like this!" he snapped before the bar that had appeared on the screen of his computer slowly filled to one hundred percent, and there was a loud click before the door opened slightly. "Alright, we're in!"

Flame torches decorated the walls of the room as they entered, and Hinata rolled her eyes at this. "He really likes modelling his mansion after an ancient Greek castle, don't he?" said Hinata sarcastically.

Shiki stopped in her tracks just then, and the rest of them who were behind her bumped into her.

"Shiki, what's wrong?"

The problem is a fairly large man with a tuft of dark orange hair on his head before them. "This is as far as you'll go!" he growled. "I am Jiroubou, one of the members of Orochimaru-sama's elite guards, and you shall go no further!"

Shiki narrowed her eyes. They can't afford to be delayed any longer. Like Shino had said, they only have about five hours tops before the ANBU actually finds this place.

"Shiki, go on ahead with the others!" said Tenten, taking one step forward, and Kankuro stepped up as well. "We'll handle this guy. As for Orochimaru…" She smiled. "Looks like you gain the honour of taking his life."

Shiki sighed and nodded. "Don't die on me," she said.

"We won't," said Kankuro with a smirk before the rest of Ragnarok ran past Jiroubou towards the stairs right at the end of the room which leads them further underground.

Jiroubou growled. "You're not going anywhere!"

But before he could actually do anything, a dagger with flames surrounding it struck the ground not too far away from his foot, stopping him in his tracks. Jiroubou turned around only to see the brunette girl whose hands were surrounded by flames, and yet, it is not hurting her in the slightest.

"My apologies," said Kankuro coldly before he stretched out his left hand, and the floor began cracking before sand and cement started forming in Kankuro's palm. "We're your opponents!"

**XXXXXX**

_Underground Level Two  
__Abandoned Mansion_

"Alright, we're clear," said Shino as the door opened.

The moment that Neji who is the first ahead of them to enter the room, he was nearly impaled by a golden arrow which struck the area just above his head, and everyone turned to see a dark skinned guy with…six arms?

Neji stared blankly at him before turning back towards Shiki, pointing at the guy. "Spiderman?" he asked, causing his friends to nearly break out in hysterical laughter and for 'Spiderman' to twitch uncontrollably.

"Who are _you _calling 'Spiderman', pretty boy?" 'Spiderman' growled. "I am Kidoumaru, one of the members of Orochimaru-sama's elite guards, and you shall go no further!"

Neji developed a dangerous tick on his head just then. "And who are _you _calling 'pretty boy'?" asked Neji dangerously. The pale eyed teen turned towards Shiki. "I'll take care of this guy. Go on ahead. 'Spiderman' won't be needing all his arms…and legs once I'm done with him."

Shiki nodded. "Alright. He's yours. Be careful."

Neji nodded. "I always am," he said before he watched his friends run past Kidoumaru, Yugito having to shoot a blast of lightning to buy them some time so that they could run down the stairway. "I'm your opponent. Shall we dance?"

**XXXXXX**

_Underground Level Three  
__Abandoned Mansion_

Shiki sighed as she ignored the red haired girl before her by the name of Tayuya who is spewing out insults that is enough to make a sailor blush. "You know, this is really getting old." She nearly groaned. "How many more must we go through?

Temari sighed before stepping out. "I'll handle her," said the wind user. "People with a loud mouth on them happen to be my type of opponents anyway." She smirked. "Go on ahead."

Shiki nodded before the lot of them rushed past Tayuya. The girl was about to go after them, but a sharp wind blade that nearly took her head off changed her mind. Tayuya turned towards Temari's initial direction only to see wind circling around both her hands, and Temari smirked.

"I'm your opponent," she stated.

**XXXXXX**

_Underground Level Four  
__Abandoned Mansion_

"Go!" Yugito called out to her friends as she grabbed the fist of this silver haired guy before her, with said fist barely an inch away from her neck. "We'll be fine! Shiki, you have to reach Orochimaru before the ANBU do!"

"Shiki, go!" Hinata called out.

**XXXXXX**

_Underground Level Five  
__Abandoned Mansion_

The temperature dropped several degrees as Haku clenched her hands into fists by her sides as she glared at the silver haired teen wearing glasses before them. Shiki glanced at Haku. She knew what history that the ice maiden had with Kabuto, seeing as it's the silver haired teen who had indirectly had a hand in causing Isaribi's current state.

Shiki sighed. "Haku, can you handle him?" she asked.

Haku nodded, not taking her eyes off Kabuto, forming a number of ice senbons with her power over ice. "Naturally," she said coldly. "Go."

**XXXXXX**

_Underground Level Six  
__Abandoned Mansion_

"The last door," muttered Gaara, looking at the door as Shino set to work to hack through the security codes on it. "Orochimaru is behind it."

There was a loud click, and the door swung opened just then. Gaara, Shiki and Shino exchanged looks before the three stepped through the doorway and entered the room, immediately catching sight of Orochimaru seated on a throne-like chair on the other end of the room.

Orochimaru chuckled, his chin resting on an upturned right palm as he turned to look at them, dressed in pale white robes which made Shiki think that Orochimaru almost fancies himself as a king of some sort.

"I commend you for making it this far," he said. "But this is as far as you'll go."

"That's what you think," said Gaara coldly.

"Maybe you might be able to kill me," said Orochimaru calmly. "You are probably the strongest of your group. But will your friends survive my guards? The cursed army?"

Shiki narrowed her eyes whilst Gaara's eyes widened a slight fraction in horror, and an angry buzzing sound sounded from Shino. "Orochimaru…!" Shiki hissed in anger. "You didn't…! You used the Mutation Process on your own people?! On _normal human beings?! _They'll die for that!"

Orochimaru gave a nonchalant shrug, getting up from his 'throne' and stepping down the steps to the floor, taking a sword from out of nowhere. "Pawns are disposable," he said with a shrug.

Gaara frowned at Orochimaru. "I don't know and I don't care what you think your people as," he said. "But I do know this. I believe in the strength of our friends. They'll defeat your inferior and artificial _dolls." _He smirked. "And they'll be ending their fights right now."

**XXXXXX**

"Just _who _are you calling 'girly', fat-ass??!!" Tenten nearly roared as she kicked Jiroubou in the nuts, cracking past his earth armour, and Kankuro nearly winced as that is the one place that no man would like to be kicked in.

Jiroubou crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes before a horde of flames surrounded Jiroubou and grew in intensity, and Kankuro winced and resisted the urge to cover his ears as Jiroubou's screams of pain echoed throughout the entire room.

Finally, when the flames died down, a black and charred body was left at where Jiroubou was before. Tenten's immortal flames are considered to be one of the strongest fire nin-abilities out there, probably on par with the fire abilities of the ANBU Captains of Akatsuki and Rendoku.

**

* * *

**"W-What is this?" Kidoumaru croaked whilst being suspended in mid-air, with cube-sized pale blue barriers suspending all his six arms and two legs in mid-air, enabling him immobile.

"My power," said Neji coldly, one hand before him. "I am the king of impenetrable barrier. There is no barrier under my control that can be broken. My barriers can be used for several different purposes: time bending, defense and offense."

Kidoumaru felt fear for the first time in his life at the look in the pale eyed teen's eyes as he made several motions in the air with his fingers and muttered, _"Obex."_

A pale green barrier surrounded Kidoumaru's head entirely just then, and he froze. "W-Wait!"

"Those that serve Orochimaru have no right to continue living in this world," said Neji solemnly.

"Orochimaru-sama is right! You're cursed children, all of you! You are the ones who have no right to exist in this world!" Kidoumaru nearly screamed.

Neji didn't let those words get to him as he muttered the phrase that will end Kidoumaru's life, making a slashing motion from up to down with his index and middle fingers as he did so. _"Defluo."_

There was a light boom before the pale green barrier around Kidoumaru's head exploded, and his head along with it before Neji allow the rest of the barriers that he had formed around Kidoumaru's limbs to fall, and Kidoumaru's headless body fell to the ground with a light thud.

Neji stared at Kidoumaru's body, with thick red blood flowing from the part where his head used to be.

'_Say what we will. Do what we will. In the end, we nin-users are still just people after all…with feelings all too human,' _thought Neji as he stepped up to Kidoumaru's body before he muttered, _"Obex."_

A pale green barrier entirely surrounded Kidoumaru's body before Neji uttered the next command, making the slashing motion from up to down with his index and middle fingers. _"Defluo."_

_Boom!_

**

* * *

**"Damn it! Where are you, you bitch?!" Tayuya roared as she looked in several different directions at once, shielding her eyes from the strong winds that threatened to blow her off. "Show yourself!"

"With pleasure," said a voice right next to her ear, and Tayuya leapt back in alarm only to see Temari standing right behind her with a smirk on her face.

"This is the end for you," said Temari before she made a slashing motion with her fingers, and a sharp blade of wind went straight at Tayuya who couldn't manage to get away in time, and the blade of wind struck Tayuya's pale neck, going right through it and severing her head from her shoulders.

A short moment later, Tayuya's head rolled to the ground, and her headless body crumpled to the ground not a second later.

Temari sighed as she dismissed her winds. "You may talk big, but no matter how strong the blade, nothing cuts the wind," she muttered.

**

* * *

**"Water conducts electricity, Kimimaro-san," said Yugito coldly as she watched Kimimaro try to get out of the water prison bubble that Hinata had imprisoned him in, not allowing him to move a single inch. "Didn't you learn that in Psychics?"

Within the water bubble, Kimimaro's eyes widened in horror as he watched Yugito stepped up slowly to Hinata's water prison slowly, electricity cackling around her right wrist before she pressed it gently against the water prison. "This is goodbye."

Kimimaro's eyes widened. _'No…!'_

And the next instant, there was such an outburst of electricity that every single electronic device and light in the room that they currently were in sizzled and popped, and Kimimaro screamed in pain as a thousand electricity volts ran through his body for several moments before Yugito stopped her electricity onslaught, and Hinata let her water prison fall, allowing Kimimaro's charred and black body to fall to the ground.

**

* * *

**Haku glared at Kabuto with such hatred in her eyes that it's a wonder that the silver haired teen hadn't yet dropped dead. Kabuto felt a slight pang in his chest at the hatred that his childhood friend, and once upon a time, best friend is now giving him.

But this is the road that he had chosen, and Haku had chosen the path that opposes him, and thus, she must die.

"Why?" Haku demanded, several ice senbons in each hand.

"Why what?" asked Kabuto, looking for an opening, but could find none.

"Why did you do that to Isaribi? She's your cousin! Why did you join Orochimaru? The Kabuto that I knew would never do such a thing!"

"Because life is just this way!" shouted Kabuto. "You can't shout and say that it's a lie! Your own father tried to kill you and your mother! You can't say that the current ANBU is all full of justice! It's all a lie!"

"Then is what Orochimaru is doing now right?!"

"It's way better than what we had to endure under ANBU rule!" Kabuto shouted back.

"I see…" said Haku, looking away. "I didn't want to do this, but I promised Isaribi that I would."

"Nani?"

_If you can't bring Kabuto back…can't bring my cousin back… Please, Haku…kill him._

Before Kabuto's astonished eyes, Haku vanished in a black blur, and the next moment, he felt something rammed into his body, and a pair of lips was planted against his. And when Kabuto managed to get his brain working once more, he realised that Haku was kissing him with tears running from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kabuto. Forgive me," she muttered before she stepped away.

"Haku…"

"Sennen Hyoro. (Thousand Year Ice Prison)"

Several ice pillars were immediately formed around Kabuto, and the eyes of the silver haired teen widened in horror. He knew what this attack is. Haku's most powerful ice attack. One that had never been able to be broken through yet.

"Haku—"

"This is goodbye, Kabuto," said Haku, smiling sadly with tears running down her cheeks. And the last thing that Kabuto saw is Haku's face before the ice pillars enclosed him in a prison of ice, and his time in this world is up.

**XXXXXX**

Shiki panted heavily, crouched on one knee to the ground as Gaara currently had Orochimaru bound in his Desert Coffin, with only his head showing. All three Ragnarok members had tears on their clothes from Orochimaru's sword.

"Why…are you doing this?" Orochimaru croaked.

"Because I'm a nin-user… No…all of us are," said Shiki, getting to her feet. "We are one of the nine Guardians, and it's my _duty _to pass judgment!"

Orochimaru coughed only to cough up a large splatter of blood and snarled at them. "You are cursed children! All of you! Even if you kill me…you're only delaying the inevitable! _He _will rise again!"

Shiki narrowed her eyes. "I see…" she said. "So it's true then. You and that fool Danzo are really trying to revive 'him'. Did you really think that a mere mortal can control _his _power?"

Orochimaru snarled and Shiki beckoned to Gaara who nodded and made a clenching motion, muttering the dreaded phrase that all his victims knew by heart…in the afterlife by now. "Desert Funeral!"

There was a light explosion within the sand cocoon that encased Orochimaru before Gaara allowed the sand to trail off Orochimaru, revealing his battered and bloody _dead _body which crumpled to the ground.

Shiki stared at Orochimaru's dead body for a long time before speaking. "People are able to hold onto hope as death is something which cannot be seen," she said, uttering a phrase that she'd heard Jiraiya said to her once.

A moth flew down and perched onto Shino's finger just then and the teen twitched before turning towards Shiki. "Shiki, we should get out of here," he said. "ANBU is on their way."

Shiki nodded. "Sound the alarm to everyone," she said.

Shino nodded.

**XXXXXX**

Twenty minutes later, ANBU members arrived at the abandoned mansion before making their way down the stairs which led to the underground rooms, as thanks to Kiba's enhanced senses, he could smell the unmistakable strong scent of blood.

They first came across the black and charred body of Jiroubou which is nearly unrecognisable, and Sakura and Ino have to resist the urge to vomit. Then an empty room with several bloodstains which is where Neji had fought Kidoumaru earlier. The veteran members of the ANBU like the Akatsuki could tell right away that a huge fight had just taken place, but they decided that investigations could wait.

The headless body of Tayuya had even the veteran members of the ANBU nearly throwing up on the spot right then and there. Then the electricity charred body of Kaguya Kimimaro had everyone on pins and needles, wondering what they're going to find next. The frozen ice prison with the dead body of Yakushi Kabuto within had everyone in shock, wondering who on earth could do such a thing to such a dangerous person as Kabuto is just one rank behind Orochimaru in the ANBU's most wanted list.

Though Itachi did notice that Kabuto died with a smile on his lips…

The final room had everyone nearly throwing up as Orochimaru's body was nailed to a wooden cross that is hung up on the walls, with his body looking as if something had torn it apart, and blood was dripping slowly to the ground, probably more than what the human body actually contains.

Kiba's eyes widened at the damage done to this room as sword slashes, cracks in the walls, craters and whatnot were everywhere as if a giant had just rampaged through the forest.

"H-Holy crap!" muttered Kiba, looking all around him. "Did an earthquake just come by or something?"

"Worse," remarked Sasuke, examining the body of Orochimaru's hanging on the stile. "From the looks of things here, it would seem that Ragnarok ran out of their usual mercies and decided that Orochimaru could do with some of their 'tender treatment'."

"Are you even sure that it's them?" asked Sakura doubtfully. "Orochimaru has plenty of enemies, after all."

"Yeah, it's them alright," said Konan, eyeing something in the corner. "That's their message."

"What do you mean, Konan?" asked Ino, turning only to stop in her tracks as she saw what Konan had seen.

A message written in blood which Ino was ready to bet was Orochimaru's blood was written on the wall. And it said: _Justice has been served. If revenge is called Justice, then that Justice breeds yet more revenge, and becomes a chain of hatred. Evil doers, you have been warned, beware. _

Sakura scowled. "Damn them! They're making us look like fools!"

"But this torture is extreme," said Konan, examining the body as Nagato whipped out his phone and started calling for the coroner. "Not like Ragnarok's usual methods. They always leave their victims hanging until they died from blood loss. But this time, they killed him on the spot."

Itachi frowned. "What the hell did Orochimaru do to them?" he asked, but no one answered.

**XXXXXX**

A few miles away from the abandoned mansion, Gaara placed one hand on Shiki's shoulder as the lot of them were preparing to return to the boathouse. Shiki raised one eyebrow at her best friend's strange behaviour.

Gaara sighed. "That friend of yours…" he said. "The one that you always went to meet… It was Uchiha Itachi, wasn't it?"

Shiki closed her eyes before opening them again before nodding. "Yeah."

Gaara frowned. "I don't think that I have to tell you this," he said. "But both our paths oppose each other. Break it off with him before you fall into it even further and before both of you get hurt." Gaara studied Shiki closely. "I'm not blind, Shiki. I know that you like him. I've suspected that for awhile now, but the dance from earlier confirms it."

Shiki stubbornly look away. "I know." She muttered before walking away.

Gaara studied her carefully before sighing. _'You knew, but you can't do anything to stop it now,' _he thought. _'And neither do you want to.'_

* * *

_A/N: A pretty long chapter this time around. Sorry to cut short on the battles, but I __**really **__don't want to describe all the battles from start to finish. Anyway, from next chapter onwards, ANBU and Ragnarok would be taking a more offensive stand against each other. So stay tuned!_

_I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

* * *

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_This time, the case is a threat to a theatre group."_

"…_do you know about Namikaze Shiki's true identity?"_

"_I can't ignore this. That guy…he has the eyes of someone consumed by revenge."_

"_Don't you think that you are being too attached to him, Shiki? He's the ANBU Captain! One of our enemies!"_

"_Those kids from the drama club in some school…they're kind of strange. They give me a funny feeling whenever I'm around them."_

"_You're nothing but a murderer!"_


	12. Theatre of Death

I'm back! And sorry for the wait! Also, this is just a heads-up, but a few of the songs in this story are songs by Enya. You can listen to one of the songs on my blog which link is on my profile. And if you wished to listen to the other songs, I think Youtube had the music videos of the songs.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Theatre of Death**

_Unknown Location  
__Eiraka_

It was late at night, and the streets of the town of Eiraka were deathly silent. And the only lights in the streets that could be found are the street lamps.

And one Namikaze Shiki could be found standing atop a tree branch on some tree outside a modest looking house in the town of Eiraka, her arms folded across her chest, not taking her eyes off the lone figure that she could see sitting before the sleek black piano in what seemed to be the dining room of the house.

This particular house is the only one in five miles in any given direction which lights are still on. And there is an extremely good reason why Shiki is currently standing outside the house in some tree, watching the occupant like a hawk would a tasty morsel.

Two weeks ago, Ragnarok had received another revenge request.

Nothing very strange and out of the ordinary, right?

But this particular client had all of Ragnarok concerned especially since their client wants _two _people taken out. Having two people whom one hated enough to want to kill them isn't a request that they received every day, and thus, Shiki had gone to watch the client personally.

That had been two weeks ago, and now, Shino, Neji and Gaara have just about attained enough intelligence and information on the client from his reasons to why he just want those particular two dead, having attained information which listed his entire history, his background to what he is like from the present all the way to when he was a toddler.

And it concerns Shiki.

The man – Iesugawa Shuu is the band manager of one of the bands belonging to an extremely famous and influential theatre group. His lifestyle is extremely modest, and he doesn't really stand out much. And those two that he wanted taken out are band members of the band that he served as manager.

But one thing of importance that Shino had found out is that the lead singer of their band – Ishigawa Keiko died three months ago in a freak accident, and right after that, the band seemed to have an internal struggle. As unlike most bands, that particular band doesn't have any backup singers. And it is only through some extremely hard investigation and work that Neji found out that the two whom Shuu wanted taken out both have something to do with Keiko's death. But no matter what it is, it is a fact that Keiko's death is an accident. An accident that _might _be caused by those two, but still an accident.

That is why all of Ragnarok are rather hesitant at accepting this particular request. Even Shiki is concerned about it. They _do _have their own code to follow, after all.

"Shiki?"

Gaara appeared on the tree branch beside Shiki just then, looking at her with concern. "We have some news," he said. "Neji had just found out that the bands of the theatre group will be having a two week training camp of some sort at an island that is owned by the owner of the theatre group. A few other bands outside the theatre group will be joining them as well."

Shiki nodded, but didn't take her eyes off Iesugawa Shuu for several moments before she made up her mind and turned back towards Gaara. "We won't be taking this request," she said simply, and Gaara nodded his head. He had a suspicion that that will be Shiki's decision as all of Ragnarok are pretty uneasy about this request. No one wanted to be the one responsible to stain their hands with the blood of innocents. "But—"

Gaara raised an eyebrow as Shiki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to lessen her headache before she turned back towards Gaara, a serious look in her eyes. "I'm going to need Shino to make us as a make believe band from some overseas boarding school and enter us into the records of the Twilight Theatre Group." Gaara raised an eyebrow, and Shiki sighed. "We may not be taking on the request, but I won't just stand by and watch as two innocents are killed." She turned back towards the form of Iesugawa Shuu in the house itself, her eyes darkening considerably as she clenched her hands into fists by her sides. "I can't ignore this. That guy…he has the eyes of someone consumed by revenge."

**XXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters  
__Leaf City_

"What performance?" Konan was asking early the next morning as the entire Akatsuki walked into the meeting room where they would be having their usual monthly meeting with Tsunade.

Deidara was looking rather sheepish as he answered. "It's the band that I'm with," he explained.

Despite being an ANBU, Deidara is a guitarist with a band who served with the Twilight Theatre Group. He often managed to get show tickets for his teammates in the ANBU which is nearly impossible to attain.

"And?" Sasori drawled, settling down into his seat.

"We're going to have a training camp about two weeks from now at some theatre house on an island that is supposedly owned by the owner of the theatre group." Deidara explained. "We're allowed to bring guests, and there will also be a performance on the last day of the camp. Can you guys come? I have tickets for you guys. Please?" Deidara clasped both his hands together.

The rest of Akatsuki exchanged amused glances. Because they are Deidara's teammates, they have been to his performances more than once. His band – Firefly usually plays new rock, but they do play other songs as well. And they're extremely popular, with the girls especially. And whenever Deidara went out into public whenever he's not on missions, he has to wear a baseball cap from back to front if he does not wish to get mobbed by fans.

"I'm alright with it," said Itachi with a shrug. It will probably do him some good to get a break every once in awhile especially since he had been on the go ever since Orochimaru had turned up dead over three months ago. "That is if Tsunade-sama allows ALL of us to go on unpaid leave for two weeks, Deidara." Itachi added, and Deidara's face fell.

Anyone with even half a brain will know without even asking that Tsunade will never allow all the members of her best ANBU team to go on unpaid leave at the same time for two whole weeks. She might allow Deidara as she knew that the civilian population will probably skin her alive if Firefly is missing their best guitarist for their performances, but she definitely won't allow the rest of them.

"That's impossible, Itachi." Deidara whined.

Konan laughed. "Well, there is no harm in asking," she mused. "Heavens knows that we all need a break especially since we've been dealing with the aftermath that came after Orochimaru's death."

All of Akatsuki sighed. All of them have been working overtime for weeks just to deal with the aftermath. The riot that nearly broke out when they've announced Orochimaru's death even had them arresting several people who had nearly thrashed the place where Orochimaru is buried.

Even now, Itachi is fairly sure that people are still desecrating his grave, not that he was surprised. After Orochimaru's gravestone was destroyed for the fifth time, Tsunade finally gave up and erected a gravestone which read: 'Here lies a traitor and defiler of mankind.' And it is then that the attacks stopped.

All conversation stopped immediately when Tsunade entered the meeting room, nodding to the Akatsuki before settling down into her seat.

"I have a new case for the Akatsuki to handle," said Tsunade briskly, and all of Deidara's hopes were immediately dashed. If there is a new case, it'll be next to impossible even for _him _to get unpaid leave. They are short on people who can handle the assignments like the ones that Akatsuki are getting assigned to as it is.

"What case?" asked Sasori.

"This time, the case is a threat to a theatre group," said Tsunade briskly before everyone opened the folders before them, and the brows of everyone rose as they recognised the name of that particular theatre group. "The Twilight Theatre Group." Honey brown eyes glanced at everyone present, particularly on Deidara. "About a week ago, the band Storm of Fire received a threatening letter."

Everyone present flipped over their folders to where a copy of the letter was attached.

"'When the last curtain falls, so will the performance. The role of Siren Singer belongs to no other but one'." Tsunade recited the contents of the letter. "It is signed by a person that called himself 'Phantom'."

"Siren Singer?" Nagato echoed. "What is that?"

Deidara sighed. "It is the name that is given to the lead singer of the Storm of Fire," he explained. "They're an extremely popular band that specialises in new classical, pop and rock music. They've been ranked number one in the music charts for that category for the past two years ever since their establishment until their lead singer, Ishigawa Keiko died in an accident during a rehearsal three months ago. Official records stated that she fell to her death because of the darkness of the theatre, but there are some that believed that the accident was planned. Ever since then, I've heard from others in the music industry that the remaining band members have been fighting over who get to replace Keiko-san as the lead singer, the Siren Singer."

Tsunade nodded. "I would like for all of you to go undercover to investigate," she said. "And fortunately for you, you wouldn't need to pose as a band of some sort which might turn out disastrous. Deidara, your band is participating in the camp, isn't it?" Deidara nodded. "Good. You can take the rest of your team as your guests. I know that your band knew that you are all ANBU agents, but I hope that I can trust them to hold their tongues."

Deidara gulped. "They won't say a word." He assured Tsunade.

"There are a total of eight bands that will be participating in this camp," said Tsunade, giving Itachi a folder which he opened with a frown. "Five are bands belonging to the Twilight Theatre Group. But the remaining two are bands that are invited from elsewhere. Among all these people, one of them must be the Phantom. Find him or her!"

**XXXXXX**

_One Week Later  
__Hiraiko_

"You're going away again?" asked Shiki with a roll of her eyes as she walked along the beach with Itachi that night at Hiraiko. "Why am I not surprised?"

Itachi looked sheepish. "Sorry," he apologised. "But it is work, unfortunately. I'll be gone for about two weeks."

Shiki sighed. "Well, maybe it's good that you chose this time to leave," she muttered. "I'll be away for about two weeks as well."

"Well, then this is an early birthday present, I guess," said Itachi before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a red and blue thread-woven tribal-like bracelet that seemed to be handmade. "I had it made awhile back for your birthday. It is in another three weeks, isn't it?"

"Yes," said Shiki with a nod. "I'm surprised that you remembered."

"I wouldn't forget my own friend's birthday," said Itachi before placing the bracelet around Shiki's right wrist. "It kind of suits you."

Shiki smiled lightly as she looked at the bracelet around her wrist. "You think?" she said with a light laugh before her cellphone starting ringing, and she answered the call. "Hello?" Shiki frowned lightly. "Alright. I'll be right back." She then slipped her phone back into her pocket and turned back towards Itachi apologetically. "Sorry. I have to go."

Itachi nodded before Shiki turned and left the beach to who-knows-where. Itachi then sighed and looked at his watch as it is nearly time for him to leave as well. With a sigh, he left the beach and towards where he had parked his motorcycle.

He was about to get on when he noticed a silver-haired teen eyeing him from behind, and Itachi turned with a frown, ready to defend himself if necessary if this guy did something stupid like trying to rob him for instance.

The guy smirked. "Do you know about Namikaze Shiki's true identity?" he asked, and Itachi stared blankly.

'_Huh?'_

**XXXXXX**

_One Week Later  
__Twilight Isle_

"It's big," said Hinata, her eyes wide as she took a quick look around her at the island that they have just gotten to via one of the ships that belonged to the owner of the island to take the visitors to the island.

There is a large theatre meant for rehearsing and performances somewhere in the middle of the island, and there is also a dormitory building where they would be living in for two weeks as well as another building for recreation activities like a cafeteria as well as a billiard room. There is also a small beach where they could take a quick swim if they wished to.

The rooms of the dormitories would be shared with two to a room, and Shiki would be sharing with Hinata. Their 'band' which they have decided to use the name of Maelstrom is the first to arrive, and they have used the time to explore properly just in case.

And fortunately for them, all of Ragnarok are actually well accustomed to performing in a 'band' of some sort as this is what they did to earn some money sometimes by acting as a performing group. Each of them loves music as music soothes the soul, and they each have an instrument which they could play like a professional.

Hinata and Haku with the flute, though for the duration of this camp, they would be the singers along with Shiki unless the situation calls for it. Kankuro with the drums and Neji with the guitar. Shino with the electronic keyboard. He is about the only one in Ragnarok who can play it, though to be fair, Shiki is the one who had taught him how to play the keyboard, and the girl would have been the keyboardist if they didn't need her to sing. Tenten with the xylophone _or _the sitar, whichever that they requires her to be. Gaara being the other guitarist with Yugito playing the violin and Temari on the saxophone.

There are a wide number of songs that they all knew by heart by now, and as only the best of the best are invited here, all of them have to make sure that they have to be nearly professionals at their individual instruments. And as such, it didn't seem to take long before it is nearly time for lunch, and Ragnarok have to meet the other bands.

The owner of the island – Ishigaya Taro gave the welcoming speech first of all before announcing the bands and the people that are present at the camp, alongside the guests.

Storm of Fire are there, obviously, and none of them looked very happy.

Firefly too which Shiki isn't too surprised at.

Forever as well as Beyond being the only two known bands that often did co-acts together.

Salutations being the only other 'outsider' band.

And of course there is Maelstrom.

And it is whilst Shiki was looking around at all the people when she froze as she caught sight of a particular group and a particular face who looked equally startled to see her. Shiki stared unblinkingly, wondering what kind of situation they had just landed themselves into as one Uchiha Itachi stared right back at her.

'_What is he doing here?!'_

**XXXXXX**

_Konan and Nagato's Room  
__Dormitory Building_

"I guess that concludes all the people that are currently present," mused Nagato as they pored over all the cards that Konan had made which represented each person currently present in the camp, being placed over the surface of a board. "We're going to have our work cut out for us."

"Deidara, what do you know about the two bands that are not part of Twilight?" asked Kisame, turning towards the blonde in their midst.

"Not a lot, I'm afraid," said Deidara sheepishly. "Salutations is a pretty excellent band, and the members came from River High School, a school famous for their talents in music and sports. As for Maelstrom…I'm not sure, but I think that some musician saw their talent as a performing group some years back and groomed them as musicians. They're pretty good from what I heard."

"I see," said Nagato darkly. "So that means that those two bands have no reason to want the members of Storm of Fire dead. That rules them out."

"But…" Konan muttered, looking rather uneasy. "Those kids…those from Maelstrom…they're kind of strange. They give me a funny feeling whenever I'm around them."

"By the way…" said Sasori, looking around. "Where is Itachi?"

**

* * *

**_Music Room  
__Twilight Isle_

The fleeting tunes of a piano could be heard coming from the music room, and if anyone even bothered to look inside, they would have seen Uchiha Itachi playing the piano with Namikaze Shiki sitting beside him on the piano seat, listening to him play.

Itachi finally ended the final tunes with a sigh, and Shiki smiled, clapping a little. "That was excellent," she said. "Is there anything that you _can't_ do?"

Itachi grinned. "Many," he said, and Shiki laughed. "Seriously though, I didn't expect to see you here. And I never knew that you had a band."

Shiki laughed. "It's a last minute one actually," she said. "The original band was…taken ill, and their manager has to find a last minute band as a replacement and asked me and my friends since we did some street music performances a few years back, and he _is _the one who had actually trained us."

It wasn't a complete lie as Jiraiya was the one who had taught them music, and the Toad Hermit did give them a hand in gaining access to this camp as he knew the owner of the theatre group.

"I see," said Itachi with a nod. "Good for you then."

Shiki laughed.

"Well, I have to go," said Itachi with a sigh. "My friends will be searching for me. There is a rehearsal later, right?" Shiki nodded, and Itachi grinned. "I'll look forward to your band's rehearsal."

Shiki smiled. "Go easy on us," she said, and Itachi smiled and nodded before leaving the music room. Shiki then sighed and turned back towards the piano before letting her fingers strum over the piano keys.

Shiki had always loved the piano better than any other instrument for some reason. The music of Flora's Secret then started to strum out. All of the songs that they knew were actually original music, being written by Haku herself who is their songwriter of sorts. But it is this particular song which is the first and only one that is written by Shiki herself. Even Haku was impressed with the emotion and feelings of the song and said that she couldn't write a better one herself.

Shiki was shaken from her current task when a voice spoke up from behind her.

"That's the song that you've written for him, isn't it?"

Shiki missed a note and she turned to see Gaara standing behind her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He then sighed and looked at Shiki. "When I told you all those months ago to break it off with him, I didn't mean getting _closer _with him! What were you _thinking?!"_ He sighed and shook his head. "No, I don't even have to ask. You weren't even thinking at all. And don't you think that you're being a little too attached to him, Shiki? He's the ANBU Captain! One of our enemies!"

"I know that," said Shiki quietly. "I know."

Gaara sighed. "Then do something quickly before it escalates out of control," he said sharply. "As of now, Neji and I are the only ones who knew about him. Though I think that Shino suspects it as well. It wouldn't take long before the others know. And I don't think that I have to tell you that they would take a more aggressive approach in that. Especially Temari and Yugito."

Shiki said nothing but stared at the tribal-like bracelet that Itachi had given her, fingering it every now and then.

Is love…really so wrong?

**XXXXXX**

_Theatre Hall  
__Twilight Isle_

_Kinkon  
__kane ga natte hajimaru mainichi  
__Kankon  
__tanoshikutte koneko mo korogari_

_Iyagaueni mo takanaru mune  
__Mohaya tomerare hashinai no desu_

_Chotto  
__okurechatte aseru mo mata yoshi  
__CHATTO  
__kakasazu ni komame ni RISAACHI_

_Kyou mo megane ga KUURU desu ne  
__TSUIN TEERU ga niaimasu ne  
__kiai iremasho minna RAIBARU  
__Makerarenai!_

_Nee oshiete!  
__watashi no shiranai koto  
__Nee kikasete!  
__anata no yaritai koto_

_Dondon  
__agaru TENSHON todomaru kotonashi  
__Janjan  
__atsuku SESSHON enchou yamunashi_

_Sakadateta kami HOTTO desu ne  
__Zettai ryouiki yabai desu ne  
__Misete agemasho kore zo kirifuda  
__Motto soba de!_

_Nee kanaete!  
__ima yori hajiketa mirai  
__Nee mitsukete!  
__koko yori tanoshii sekai_

_Nee doushite  
__anata wa hane ga aru no?  
__Nee doushite  
__watashi wa me wo sorasu no?_

_Nee  
__konna ni dokidoki suru no hana ze?  
__Nee  
__konna ni sukida yo  
__nee-ttara nee!_

Ishigaya, the owner of the theatre group was nodding, impressed, along with nearly everyone else as they listened to Maelstrom give their performance. Each band has to perform three songs, and that is only their first. All of the bands have been really good so far, save for Storm of Fire.

There was a short break for five minutes as the members tuned their instruments before Ishigaya gave his nod to commence their next song. And Itachi hadn't taken his eyes off the band even when Kisame had asked him a question. Or more specifically, he hadn't taken his eyes off Shiki.

_Who can say  
__where the road goes  
__where the day flows  
__only time_

_And who can say  
__if your love grows  
__as your heart chose  
__only time_

_Who can say  
__why your heart sighs  
__as your love flies  
__only time_

_And who can say  
__why your heart cries  
__when your love lies  
__only time_

_Who can say  
__when the roads meet  
__that love might be  
__in your heart_

_And who can say  
__when the day sleeps  
__if the night keeps  
__all your heart_

_Night keeps all your heart_

_Who can say  
__if your love grows  
__as your heart chose  
__only time_

_And who can say  
__where the road goes  
__where the day flows  
__only time_

_Who knows…only time  
__Who knows…only time_

"Very good," said Ishigaya, clapping, along with everyone else as they finished the song. "But the three of you need to further work on your synchronisation as your singing is a little…off-tune." He looked at Shiki, Hinata and Haku who nodded. "And the keyboardist is going a little too fast, thus making the song a little out of tune. Those are little problems which can be easily amended. Let's hear your last song."

Shiki nodded. "Yes sir."

_Let me sail, let me sail, let the Orinoco flow  
__Let me reach, let me beach on the shores of Tripoli  
__Let me sail, let me sail, let me crash upon your shore  
__Let me reach, let me beach far beyond the Yellow Sea_

_De de de de de de…  
__Sail away…_

_From Bissau to Palau in the shade of Avalon  
__From Fiji to Tiree and the isles of Ebony  
__From Peru to Cebu, feel the power of Babylon  
__From Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea_

_De de de de de…  
__Turn it up…  
__Adieu, ooh  
__Sail away…_

_From the North to the South, Ebudae unto Khartoum  
__From the deep Sea of Clouds to the Island of the Moon  
__Carry me on the waves to the lands I've never been  
__Carry me on the waves to the lands I've never seen_

_We can sail, with the Orinoco flow  
__We can sail, we can sail  
__We can steer, we can near with Rob Dickins at the wheel  
__We can sigh, say good-bye Ross and his dependencies  
__We can sail  
__We can sail away_

_We can reach, we can beach on the shores of Tripoli  
__We can sail, we can sail  
__From Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea  
__We can sail, we can sail_

_From Bissau to Palau in the shade of Avalon  
__We can sail  
__We can sail away_

_We can reach, we can beach far beyond the Yellow Sea  
__We can sail  
__We can sail away_

_From Peru to Cebu, feel the power of Babylon  
__We can sail  
__We can sail away_

_We can sail  
__We can sail away_

Shiki, Hinata and Haku were all pretty breathless by the time Shino and Tenten ended the final tunes of the song with their keyboard and xylophone respectively, especially since the song is a pretty fast paced one. Honestly! What is Haku thinking when she wrote this?

"Very good," said Ishigaya, clapping with a smile on his face. "Keep up the work. And next up is…" He referred to his clipboard. "Firefly. The last rehearsal for the day. Then we can finally call it a day."

Deidara grinned as he practically bounced up the steps to the stage, carrying his electric guitar with him whilst his band-mates carried their instruments up the steps that led to the stage, all of them grinning at Deidara's enthusiasm. They all knew that Deidara liked showing off, and he loves music more than anything else. And yet again, it is a mystery as to why Deidara is still with the ANBU and didn't go full time into the music business like the rest of his band.

The first two songs were excellent, though Ishigaya commented that Deidara played his guitar so loudly that he could barely hear the singing of their lead singer, let alone the drums and keyboard of the other two of his band. The final song is one that everyone present is familiar with as it is that particular song that shot Firefly to fame.

_Tojikaketa hitomi ni  
__itsuwari wo utsushite  
__Karamiau sadame wa  
__ayamachi ni yakarete_

_Me wo fuse inori wo sasageru  
__fukaku aoki yami no naka de  
__Hizamazuku mono no nigirishimeta te ni  
__kizamareta shirushi no you ni_

_Magakami no itetsuku hitomi yo  
__chi no namida wa kawaku kotonaku  
__Yo wo daki hi wo ooi  
__hirakareta hatenaki agito_

_Hirugaeru osanaki haoto yo  
__fuki yuku kaze no na wo tsutsunde  
__Kanata eto hakobi yuku  
__todokanu inori to shitte mo_

_Soredemo hito wa uta darou  
__aragau inochi no sakebi wo  
__Matataita yaiba no kiseki yo  
__chi no ishi wa taeru kotonaku_

_Yo wo egaki hi wo torae  
__sashitsuranuku kaki no hi no ya  
__Iro aseta furuki koto no ha yo  
__sugisarishi toki wo kuri tata ne_

_Tokoshie ni tsutae yuku  
__kanawanu chigiri to natte mo  
__Soredemo hito wa egaku darou  
__tsuienu inochi no homura wo_

The crowd was nearly going crazy, though everyone was surprised when Deidara's guitar caught fire halfway through the song, and he had to practically pull the strap of his guitar over his head and tried to put the fire out. His band-mates looked surprised as well, though they didn't stop performing. And the poor keyboardist has to play his part EXTREMELY loudly during the parts where Deidara is supposed to play his guitar.

**

* * *

**"That was great!" Kisame exclaimed with his mouth full of food later that night, splattering food everywhere, much to his teammates' disgust, particularly Nagato who happened to be sitting right in front of him. "All of them are! Especially Deidara's band! And was that fire thing part of the play? If it was, it's great!"

Itachi rolled his eyes and stood up. "I'm going to go and find Dei," he said. "I have to ask him something."

His friends all nodded before Itachi headed towards the changing room of the stage where Deidara's band is. Itachi was deep in thought as he frowned, thinking about the events of the rehearsal. Sasori had recorded the entire rehearsal down on tape, and thus, he could always borrow it to view the rehearsal again, but he is fairly sure of one thing.

'_I highly doubt that the guitar on fire thingy is part of the performance,' _thought Itachi. _'Dei looks a little too surprised when it happened.'_

The blonde bomber's angry voice reached Itachi's ears even before he entered the changing room when he stepped into the theatre hall, and the Uchiha raised an eyebrow. It is rare to see Deidara so angry and worked up.

"What was that back there?!" said Deidara's angry voice. "I play new rock, not Great Balls of Fire!"

"Calm down, Deidara," said the lead singer of his band, Miko tiredly. The girl was sitting on one of the dressing room tables as the keyboardist, Juno is examining Deidara's burned guitar carefully with Seto, the drummer watching over his shoulder. "Besides, you have your backup guitar, don't you?"

"That's not the point here!" said Deidara angrily before he noticed Itachi. "Oh? Itachi? What are you doing here?"

Itachi sighed. "Am I safe to assume that the guitar-on-fire thingy _isn't _part of the performance?" he stated more than asked, and Deidara twitched.

"Itachi, if I burn a guitar at every performance that I go to, I'll go broke even with my salary from my services as an ANBU!" said Deidara sarcastically. "And speaking of fire, I have a good mind to fire whoever was responsible for that back there!"

Itachi winced. _'Ouch. He sounds upset. But it's strange though.' _Itachi thought as he glanced at Seto and Juno who were both examining Deidara's guitar whilst Miko is trying unsuccessfully to calm down an angry Deidara. _'Why would his guitar catch on fire for no apparent reason?'_

**XXXXXX**

_Gaara and Neji's Room  
__Dormitory Building_

"Heat enhancer?" Temari echoed as the rest of Ragnarok sat in couches and chairs in the room that Gaara and Neji shared.

Neji nodded grimly. "I got that Juno guy to let me take a look at the guitar. I saw broken fragments of glass that I instantly recognised as heat enhancer glass fragments," he said. "Heat enhancers absorb heat, and when the temperature gets hot enough, it bursts into flame. It is usually used to destroy stuff that couldn't be destroyed by usual means as the flame is unbelievably hot. The lights that lit up the stage set the heat enhancers into action. That Deidara guy is lucky that he managed to get his guitar off his person before the flames torched him, otherwise, he'll be a goner."

"But…" Haku frowned. "That Deidara guy is an ANBU, isn't it? Why would Iesugawa target him _if _it is him in the first place?"

Neji sighed. "Iesugawa targeted the wrong guitar," he said simply. "Deidara loaned his guitar to that Ishigawa guitarist in the Storm of Fire band. Something about wanting to test a new song to see how it sounds like on another electric guitar. Then Ishigawa forgot to return the guitar to Deidara right until just before the rehearsal. Iesugawa's target…right from the start…it is Ishigawa Keiji."

Temari frowned. "Ishigawa?" he mused. "Any relation to the Ishigawa Keiko girl that died a few months back?"

"Her cousin." Gaara supplied. He then sighed. "But it looks like Shiki's concerns aren't that unfounded after all. Iesugawa is really desperate enough to resort to murder now. By his own hands if necessary."

Everyone was silent.

"And speaking of Shiki…" Kankuro mused, glancing around. "Where is she?"

Neji and Gaara exchanged glances which went unnoticed by all but Hinata, Haku, Shino and Yugito.

"No idea."

**XXXXXX**

_Beach  
__Twilight Isle_

"Deidara is hopping mad." Itachi said with a chuckle later that night when he sat on one of the tree branches of a tree with Shiki. "I've never seen him so angry before. And then again, this _is _his guitar that we're talking about after all."

Shiki said nothing. Neji had told her earlier about his findings and she was concerned. No matter what, they have to find a way to stop Iesugawa now. He had allowed his hatred to take control of him. No one can see clearly when they have a mist or a cloud covering their minds.

True, those two whom Iesugawa hated might not be so innocent, and Shiki agrees that they should be punished for this, but they definitely shouldn't die for this. There is quite a clear line between pure vengeance and injustice. And Shiki draws a line at unnecessary killing.

_BOOM!_

'_Ah?'_

Shiki looked up only to feel the first drops of rain falling lightly onto her, and she sighed, jumping off the tree branch. "It's about to rain," she said. "We should head back."

"Wait."

Itachi grabbed her hand before she can run off, and Shiki turned towards Itachi. There is an unreadable expression on his face. And Shiki thinks that she knew the reason why as well. For lack of a better word, she has been awfully…distant with Itachi recently. And the guy, being as sharp as he is can see it as well.

The entire reason not only because of the feud between the ANBU and Ragnarok. Because Shiki herself felt guilty as well. She knew that her friendship with Itachi is about the only thing that kept him sane from everything that he has been doing in the ANBU, but if he ever found out about her 'other life', there is no telling what may happen.

It is like being with Itachi like this is like a poison. Even Gaara had said it. If this drags on for much longer, both of them will end up getting hurt. Shiki isn't stupid. She knew that she likes Itachi in the romantic sense as more than just friends. But unfortunately, this is life.

"You've been awfully distant with me lately, Shiki," said Itachi quietly, looking at her with those expressive eyes. "And I want to know why. What did I do to you? If it is anything that I did, then please give me the chance to amend it. Your friendship means everything to me. You know that."

Shiki was quiet. "It isn't anything that you've done," she said at last. The rain was coming down lightly. This conversation is long coming. Shiki knew that. She knew that Itachi will voice it out sooner or later. "It is just…me. Just me. The problem lies with me." She took a deep breath in, recalling what Gaara had said months ago.

_Both our paths oppose each other. Break it off with him before you fall into it even further and before both of you get hurt._

Shiki closed her eyes briefly before opening them again to meet Itachi's expecting eyes. _'It is easier said than done, Gaara. I should have listened to you back then. Then maybe…it wouldn't be so hard right now.'_

"Let go," said Shiki firmly, relieved that her voice didn't manage to betray her emotions. "Itachi, let go. Let me go."

Itachi knew Shiki well enough to know that she meant something else entirely when she said 'let me go'. He shook his head, not releasing his hold on Shiki at all. "I won't," he said. "I won't let you run from me." He took a deep breath in. "I was a fool. I thought that I can ignore it. But Fate decided otherwise. I knew…ever since that time at the beach…I knew that I carried feelings for you. But I tried to ignore it as I didn't want to lose our friendship."

Shiki was silent as she listened to Itachi speak. One part of her is screaming at her to run away whilst another part is telling her to listen to Itachi, even though she knew that she might regret that decision.

"Please Shiki. Don't run from me."

Itachi pushed Shiki back against the tree trunk and kissed her deeply before she can even protest. And despite what her mind is telling her, her body responded otherwise by tangling her fingers into his ebony hair and pulling her body closer to him. Itachi's lips parted Shiki's, and moved against them.

Itachi pulled back a little and looked straight into Shiki's eyes. The rain was pelting down strongly by now, but neither one of them cared. "Don't run from me," he said before he pulled Shiki close to his body.

Shiki closed her eyes and rested her face against Itachi's chest, wrapping her arms lightly around his torso. _'I'm tired,' _she thought. _'Just once…just let us stay like this… Just once…'_

Lightning flashed across the dark sky.

**

* * *

**_Gaara and Neji's Room  
__Dormitory Building_

Neji walked up to the window of the room that he shared with Gaara, a towel draped around his neck, looking out of the windows, trying to make out what he could in this crazy weather. He heard light footsteps behind him before Gaara stepped up next to him, looking out of the window as well.

Neji turned towards his friend only to see Gaara close his eyes sombrely, an unreadable expression on his face as he made a clenching motion with his right hand before opening the palm of his right hand only to reveal his sand eye before it dispersed into thin air. The redhead then glanced at Neji before looking out of the window.

Neji sighed as he understood Gaara well enough to know what he must have just seen. "It's Shiki, isn't it?" he stated more than asked. Gaara sighed and nodded. "Give her some time. We owed her everything that we have today. We at least owe her this much."

Gaara nodded. "I'm just afraid that the time isn't enough," he said. "And that Shiki will find it even harder to break it off with him." He sighed. "I have no objections if she found someone. But why must that 'someone' be our enemy?!" He rammed a fist into the window-sill, a frustrated and angry expression on his face. "It's just not fair! Why must he be an ANBU?! And not just any ANBU, but the captain of their best team?!"

Neji said nothing, agreeing with Gaara.

Life is never fair.

* * *

_A/N: A pretty long chapter this time around. For those wanting some Itachi/Shiki fluff, I hope that you are happy, but I do not want to rush into their relationship, and thus, these things have to be taken slowly. I mean, this __**is **__a forbidden relationship that we're talking about after all. What do you expect?_

_I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_It's game over."_

"_You people are__…! Ragnarok!"_

"_In the end, we couldn't do anything to stop them, can we?"_

"_You're nothing but a murderer!"_


	13. When the Curtain Falls

I'm back! And sorry for the wait! Like always, my delay in updates has to do with writer's block, and also the fact that I can't seem to find the motivation as I've just failed my interview for entry into design school! *weep buckets of tears* Anyway, once again, sorry for the long wait, and I hope that you will like this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: When the Curtain Falls**

All of Ragnarok were on pins and needles right until the night before the final day of the training camp.

Apart from that guitar-on-fire incident on the first day of the training camp, Iesugawa Shuu had never done anything at all, and this had all of Ragnarok on pins and needles, with each of them wondering what that guy is going to do next.

And thus, this explains the reason why all of Ragnarok are all currently in Gaara and Neji's room, having an emergency meeting of sorts. All of them were seated in the couches and chairs in the room that Gaara and Neji shared, and all of them have worried looks on their faces.

Finally, Shiki sighed and glanced around the room at all her friends who all have equally grim expressions on their faces.

"It's time," she stated, and everyone nodded grimly. "If Iesugawa is going to try to pull anything, tomorrow is the only time that he can act."

"I've gotten a copy of tomorrow's schedule just in case," said Yugito, handing over a slip of paper to Shiki who scanned her eyes quickly down it, and the redhead frowned.

"It says here that there is going to be a performance put on by all the bands in the theatre hall," said Shiki slowly, looking from one to the other. "It is not a full dress rehearsal like what we've been doing for the past few days. It is an actual performance with the lights dimmed out, the public invited here, and everything. If Iesugawa is going to try to pull anything, it should be during that performance."

"'When the last curtain falls, so will the performance. The role of Siren Singer belongs to no other but one.'" Haku recited the contents of that threatening letter than Shino had somehow managed to attain. The ice maiden glanced at her friends. "It makes sense. If he is going to try to pull anything, it should be during the performance of Storm of Fire."

Shiki nodded slowly, her brain working a hundred miles per minute. "And that means that we have to make our move then as well," she said slowly. "As of now, Iesugawa has never given us a reason to kill him yet—"

Temari snorted. "I'll call that guitar-on-fire incident 'something', Shiki," she said snidely.

"Nonetheless, we can't just use that as an excuse." Neji interrupted Temari before Shiki can say anything. "As Ragnarok, we _do _have our code and honour to abide by. We can't just go about killing everyone that rubs us up the wrong way! Granted, that time with that Arika Mami who uses our name is one thing…" Neji trailed off. "But we _do _have a valid request on her, and so…"

Hinata sighed. "Neji-nii-san, get straight to the point," she said.

"Shino." Shiki interrupted before Neji can say anything, and everyone turned towards her, the bug user among them. "Tell me. Who is responsible for all the props and backstage proceedings for the performance tomorrow evening?"

Shino's eyebrows could almost be seen behind his shades as he referred to his computer that was opened on his lap as usual, with the bug user being curled up in one of the couches. "Well, you'll be surprised to hear this, but it's Iesugawa Shuu," he answered. "As one of the band managers here, he's responsible for the proceedings backstage, and to ensure that everything runs smoothly. As he is the most senior here, Ishigaya Taro had made him the chief."

Shiki frowned, and everyone stared at their captain. What is Shiki up to this time?

"And the marker stickers?" Shiki questioned. "The one that marks where each person is to place their footing on the stage in the darkness during a performance? Who is responsible where those stickers are to go?"

Shino frowned slightly, seeing what Shiki is concerned about now. "Iesugawa Shuu," he answered, and Shiki sighed.

"I was afraid of that," she muttered. She then glanced at her friends. "Look, let me put it in simpler terms for you so that you'll understand." She said, and everyone nodded. "Whenever a band gives a performance in a theatre hall, the one who is responsible to ensure that things run smoothly usually tends to have a hand in marking the stage with glow-in-the-dark stickers so that no one falls off the stage. Usually, even if one falls off the stage, it is nothing serious. At most, they'll probably get a bad sprain or something. But this time, it is no joking matter."

"Because the theatre hall here is originally used for performance plays, this means that the landing impact will be quite far from the ground." Gaara said suddenly, putting together the pieces. He glanced around before looking at Shiki in the eye who nodded. "If anyone falls off of the stage of the theatre hall here, they'll fall to their death!"

Everyone paled instantly, and Yugito frowned.

"And even if the ANBU are called in to investigate the unfortunate death of anyone during the performance, it'll only be marked as a freak accident," she said grimly. "And to make matters worse, Storm of the Fire is the first up for the performance tomorrow."

Shiki sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of her nose to ease her headache. "Alright, that does it," she said. "We already have our hands full with trying to locate the Bijuu Shrines which doesn't have much success so far…" She muttered beneath her breath. "I'm going to need three of you in disguises tomorrow in case Iesugawa pulled anything. Save the unfortunate fellow who happened to fall off the stage, and enact our own version of justice. In this case, the target will be Iesugawa." Shiki glanced around at her friends. "Yugito. Haku. Gaara. Can you three do it?"

The three mentioned nodded dumbly, but Gaara frowned slightly. "But won't the ANBUs present here find something strange if three of us are missing when Ragnarok appears?" he asked. "Even _they _are bright enough to put two and two together."

Shiki sighed and nodded. "And that's where Tenten comes in," she stated, and the brunette blinked owlishly.

"Huh?"

Shiki turned towards the bun-haired girl. "Can you create three illusionary copies of Yugito, Haku and Gaara tomorrow so that no one will find it odd that they are missing?" she asked. "It's rather unfortunate, but their abilities are required for tomorrow's mission. Besides…" She grinned to herself. "We can take this chance to just see what our self-proclaimed arch nemeses are capable of."

Tenten grinned, along with every other the moment that they'd figured out what Shiki is up to.

"Consider it done," she said.

**XXXXXX**

_Next Day  
Theatre Hall_

Itachi was silent as he sat in one of the front seats with the rest of his teammates who were here as Deidara's guests, watching as the band members of all the bands here were busy setting the props up on the stage.

His eyes softened as he watched Shiki disappeared backstage, before he tore his eyes away. As an ANBU, he knew that relationships are quite discouraged and frowned upon. Those that are in relationships usually tend to pick fellow ANBUs as their chosen ones. Especially ones like Nagato and Konan. He has no idea what Tsunade would think of him picking a civilian as his chosen one.

He would probably get his head ripped off for this.

Kisame leant over to him in his seat next to Itachi. "If everything goes well today, then it is all for the best," he said quietly.

Itachi nodded silently.

But inwardly, he doesn't think that that will happen. Akatsuki never had things working their way whenever it comes to missions. Either the missions that they get are the most boring of the lot, or it can also be the ones that are categorized wrongly.

And if Ragnarok caught wind about the entire thing about the band…

Itachi shuddered even just thinking about it.

That was the entire reason why the ANBU had tried to keep the entire mission under wraps, and to keep it as quiet as possible. Especially since this sound just like the type of thing that Ragnarok would stick their nose into. And frankly, Itachi doesn't wish to see another death here.

The guests were slowly filling into the seats, and there were mutterings between the guests as they waited for the time for the curtain to fall, and for the performance to begin.

Itachi studied the performance schedule in his hand, and noted that the first band up is the Storm of Fire band. He then smiled to himself. Ishigaya Taro probably wants that band to get their performance over with as soon as possible. It is highly unlikely that that band would ever get to remain functioning after this entire performance, especially with the way that the band is currently going.

As Itachi glanced up, he noticed that the band members who weren't performing yet were heading down the stairs by the sides of the performance stage, and filling in the seats in the first two rows. They'll probably be sitting there until it is their turn to give the performance, and the roadies would then load their instruments up on the stage from backstage.

"It is about time." Nagato mused from next to Itachi, glancing at his watch. "It is nearly six in the evening. It should begin soon."

"Keep your eyes open, all of you." Itachi muttered, yet the members of Akatsuki could all hear him clearly, and they nodded. "Deidara will be keeping his eyes peeled opened backstage, so we'll do our part here as well. If this 'Phantom' is among the band, then this performance is the only time when he can make his move."

Konan snorted. "The finale of the entire performance," she stated, and Itachi nodded.

The lights dimmed just then, and Itachi frowned.

"It's begun."

**

* * *

**Like clockwork, the curtains fell at exactly six o'clock, and the entire performance then begun.

The audience clapped as the heavy silk curtains of the stage swung apart to reveal the remaining three members of the Storm of Fire band – Ishigawa Keiji, Aoyama Miyu and Tendou Kyoko.

Shiki knew the second member – Aoyama Miyu, as the lead keyboardist of the band, and that she was Ishigawa Keiko's best friend. There were also rumours going around that the girl is planning on leaving Storm of Fire after this performance, and joining another band, as there were rumours that some band had offered Miyu the position of keyboardist in their band.

It is the first and the last that had Shiki concerned.

Especially since those two have a hand in causing the death of Ishigawa Keiko.

Now, Shiki knew that they didn't _exactly _kill her, but they _did _set things up to cause her death. All those 'things' only have a thirty percent chance of succeeding, but it still did succeed. And Shiki hated it, but she can't move against those two unless they did something that ranks them as 'sinners' in Ragnarok's book.

Even Ragnarok has their own code to follow.

Neji who is sitting next to Shiki exchanged looks with her, as the one who is taking the role of lead singer, Tendou Kyoko, stepped forwards towards the center of the stage, wearing a beaming smile on her face.

Shiki didn't take her eyes off of Kyoko as the girl stepped closer and closer to the edge of the stage, her eyes focused on Kyoko's feet and the glow-in-the-dark markers that she can vaguely see on the ground of the stage.

Beside her, Shiki can feel Neji tensing up.

He wasn't the only one.

All of them could somehow feel that something is going to happen. And after having been in years in this line, all of them have long learned to trust their instincts.

Something bad is going to happen.

Almost like in slow motion, Shiki watched as Kyoko placed her right foot with the heel against the glow-in-the-dark marker – said to be the 'safe' point, and she watched as Kyoko's eyes widened slightly in surprise before she let out a light scream, and promptly fell off the stage.

**

* * *

**"Shit!" Kisame snarled as Kyoko fell off the stage with a scream. "That was the work of Phantom, isn't it?!"

"Wait, Kisame!" Itachi placed a hand on his best friend's arm, his eyes narrowing together. "Something isn't right…"

**

* * *

**The lights of the entire theatre hall were turned on at the same exact moment when Kyoko fell with a scream, with the entire theatre hall giving out light screams themselves. A black blur appeared from out of nowhere just then, catching Tendou Kyoko in his or her arms just before the singer could hit the ground, setting the frightened girl safely on her feet on the ground.

"What—?!" Konan stood up in her seat, surprise etched on her features, and she isn't the only one.

"Over there!" Sasori narrowed his eyes, looking towards where the band manager of the Storm of Fire stood, being half-hidden by the curtains. The only difference between then and now is that Iesugawa Shuu was being held hostage of some masked person, one arm hooked around his neck.

"What is going on?" Itachi narrowed his eyes. _'This isn't supposed to happen!'_

"Don't move, any of you," said a curt voice as a third masked figure dropped down from the ceiling, landing onto the stage itself.

All three of those masked figures were dressed in black coats with a dark cloak each. A black half-mask also concealed the bottom half of their faces, preventing anyone from seeing their faces.

"It's game over, Iesugawa Shuu," said the one who had said man hostage.

The one who had rescued Kyoko glared up at Shuu. "I understand your pain and despair because of Ishigawa Keiko's passing, but what you've done…! You're nothing but a murderer!"

"Who are you people?!" Deidara stood up from his seat. "Let Iesugawa-san go!"

"The ANBU are really idiots, aren't they?" The first one muttered. "You should be thankful that we're here tonight, otherwise, you'll have another death on your hands. And yet, with what this guy had attempted to do…" He narrowed his eyes. "Is this true justice at all?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "Justice?" he muttered. His eyes then flew opened in shock when he realized just who they are. "You people are…! Ragnarok!"

Whispers and mutterings started to break out all over the theatre hall.

"Ragnarok…!" Deidara hissed, with both fear and fury etched on his face. "So we meet at last…"

"We did meet once before. It's just that you didn't recognize us," said the first masked person who is actually Gaara, with the second being Yugito, and the last being Haku, not that any of those present, save for Ragnarok themselves, being aware of this little fact.

"Ragnarok…!" Shuu hissed, still being held hostage by Yugito. "Why have you come? You refused to take on my request, didn't you?"

Itachi froze. Request?

"Don't blame us for it," said Haku with a shrug. "Our captain didn't want to take on your request as the two whom you've ordered a hit on, Ishigawa Keiji and Tendou Kyoko, have nothing to do with Ishigawa Keiko's death."

"Shuu, you…!" Keiji stepped forward, rage on his features. "You tried to kill us? Why?!"

Shiki glanced at Yugito who nodded subtly, and released her hold on Shuu. Even Ragnarok is curious to know about Iesugawa's part in this entire mess.

"Shuu-san…" Miyu stepped forward, pain on her features. "Keiko's death… Why?"

"Miyu, you're Keiko's best friend. You should know this better than anyone else. Her death is no accident!" Shuu growled. "She was murdered! By those two!"

"But why?" Miyu asked again. "I know… I know that her death is no accident. But what can I do? I have no proof! And why are you even seeking vengeance for her death in the first place? What is Keiko to you?"

"She's my lover." Shuu growled, and silence fell among the theatre hall once more. "Back then, all those months ago during that rehearsal. Her fall from the stage that had cracked her skull opened which had resulted in her death is _no _accident! Those two planned it!" He glared at Keiji and Kyoko. "You tampered with the markers on the stage so that she'll fall off in the pitch black darkness! Keiko died because of you both!"

Miyu looked as if she had just suffered from a heart attack.

"It can't be…!" she whispered.

"If that is the case, then why didn't you come to the ANBU?" Nagato asked.

"ANBU?" Shuu laughed bitterly. "Like _that_ could help! The ANBU are just dogs of the damn government! Dogs who merely took every chance to ostracize the civilians and the nin-users of the country! My baby sister… She _died _because of the fucking ANBU! Because those guys took their own sweet time to come when she is in dire need of their help! And the ANBU claimed that they 'live for the people'? Bah! Don't give me all that bullshit!"

Shiki narrowed her eyes. So _that's _why he had never gone to the ANBU in the first place…

"Keiko is everything to me. She has been there for me ever since my sister had died. To me, Keiko's life is irreplaceable. But then, those two…those two got away scot-free with her murder!" Shuu glared at the two in mention who flinched slightly. "I then decided. If the law and the ANBU can't do anything, and _won't _do anything to help me, then I'll find another way to get my revenge!"

Shiki closed her eyes briefly.

_It was then that we've realized. That even the law has limits. That's what we'd thought at that time. That's why…Ragnarok was formed._

That was the reason why Ragnarok had even been formed in the first place.

There are some criminals that can't be touched by the law. And if that is the case, then they have to go outside the law and the courts to deal with them. That was what Shiki had thought at that time when her old gang had perished. That was what Yugito had thought. What Shino had thought. What _all_ of Ragnarok had thought.

"And that's when you'd contacted us, right?" said Yugito, and Itachi narrowed his eyes.

"That's right," said Shuu. "I remembered Keiko telling me about a certain organization that had been the hot topic of discussion on the Net for quite a number of years now, and that the ANBU have been chasing after them for some years now without any success."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. _'Ragnarok…' _he thought. _'Just what are they?'_

"Ragnarok. I contacted them. I waited. Finally, after two months, your captain made contact with me. The one otherwise known as Twila." Shuu gritted his teeth as if remembering something nasty. There wasn't a single sound to be heard in the theatre hall as everyone was listening intently to Shuu and his tale.

"But then, the captain of Ragnarok told me something after I'd told her my request. _'We can't help someone who seeks the death of another human being solely for the purpose of vengeance in which the other party has no fault in.' _They refused to help me in the killings of Keiji and Kyoko…stating that revenge killings for a reason that is not the fault of the other party isn't something that they will do. I then decided… If Ragnarok won't help me, then I'll avenge Keiko's death by myself!"

Itachi can only stare. _'Huh?'_

And the captain of the Akatsuki is sure that he isn't the only one. This is the first that Itachi had heard of Ragnarok turning down a request. He doesn't know what to think of that organization anymore.

Haku appeared in front of Shuu in an instant even before he could move towards Keiji and Kyoko.

"Get out of my way!" Shuu snarled, a crazed look in his eyes as a knife appeared like magic in his hand. "If you won't help me to kill Keiji and Kyoko, then I'll do it myself!"

Haku tilted her head slightly so that she is looking at Shiki out of the corner of her eye. To the normal bystander, it'll merely look like Haku is studying Shuu intently, but all of Ragnarok knew better.

Shiki knew what Haku is asking as well: _Are you sure that you want to go through with it?_

Shiki sighed and nodded. At the rate that Iesugawa Shuu is going, he is only heading straight for destruction. The least that they could do is to end his misery.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that," said Haku. She then glanced at Yugito who is the one standing closest to Shuu, her hands stuffed in her pockets. Yet her posture is tense, indicating that she is ready at any given time to act. _"Raitei!"_

"Okay."

Yugito moved so quickly that she is just a blur to all of the onlookers before she grabbed hold of Shuu, twisting the knife out of his grasp, and hooking her arm around his neck. Just one wrong move, and she can break his neck.

"Let me go!"

"I'm afraid not," said Gaara calmly. "You see, we have our orders from our captain. She told us that if you refused to back down from your killing spree, then we have no choice but to eliminate you. At the rate that you're going, you're only heading straight towards the path of destruction. True, we do revenge killings: Ragnarok carries out the vengeance of our clients. But we actually make sure that it's something valid. But what you're doing now… How is it any different from what those two have actually done?"

"Like I give a damn! Let me go!"

Yugito sighed. "It's game over, Iesugawa Shuu," she said before she tightened her grasp, and there was the sound of a loud crack as Shuu's neck was broken, and Yugito let his limp body fall to the ground.

There was a shocked silence as everyone just saw a member of Ragnarok kill someone in front of them. Sure, everyone knew that Ragnarok is an assassination organization, but seeing and hearing are two completely different things.

"How could you…?" Deidara could barely get his words out.

"Don't get us wrong," said Gaara curtly. "We're Ragnarok. We don't kill without a reason. But if we think that the client is doing the wrong thing, then we _will _stop them. That is the code of Ragnarok, and no one within Ragnarok will break it. If the ANBU can't tame the criminals in their own country, then we shall do it for you! When it actually comes down to it, the ANBU are completely useless, aren't they? They never come when we actually need you the most."

Itachi was too shocked at the events that have just transpired to even feel shocked that Gaara had just said 'you' that indicates that he knew of their true identities.

"We're merely here as observers, and also to see what the ANBU, our self-proclaimed arch nemesis are actually capable of," said Yugito curtly. "And I must say that you guys are disappointing if that is all that you're capable of."

"What was that?!" Nagato growled.

"Don't you know, Akatsuki?" said Haku, and all of Akatsuki jumped a little, shocked that Ragnarok actually knew who they are. "The game is just starting. Let's play, shall we? Let's play to the end. And let's see who shall actually emerge as the victors. The ANBU? Or Ragnarok? The game starts now."

Itachi growled. Was that a challenge?

"How pathetic."

The tension in the air was broken with Kyoko's nasal voice, and everyone turned towards the girl. The singer had a nasty look on her face as she eyed Shuu's dead body with a look that suggested that there is a nasty smell beneath her nose.

"Blaming us for something this trivial…"

"You got that right." Keiji nodded.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. He is starting to wish that Ragnarok had taken Iesugawa Shuu's request after all. Those two are just the type of people that pisses him off the most! And it is rather unfortunate, but there is no way for them to prove that those two are responsible for the death of Ishigawa Keiko, as her death has already been classified as an accident all those months ago.

In the end, are they just some of the ones that couldn't be touched by the law? Is what Ragnarok said true? That there are some criminals that you must go outside the courts and the law to punish?

No! Itachi refused to believe that! There must be some other way!

And yet again, Itachi somehow had a feeling that Ragnarok won't just leave those two alone. If it is one thing that Itachi had admired them for, it is for their perseverance and tenacity. As well as their stubbornness to stick to their ideals.

When they do a job, they actually finish it to the end.

"You're not that much innocent either, both of you." Gaara growled, narrowing his eyes at Kyoko and Keiji. "Our captain doesn't wish to see you dead…yet. But mark my words, we'll be watching you. Watching and waiting. What comes around comes around. On the day when you actually go against what Ragnarok had stood for, we'll be ready for you."

Kyoko smirked arrogantly.

"Let's go," said Haku, and Gaara and Yugito nodded.

"Wait!" Deidara called out, rushing towards the stage.

But Haku smirked as she raised her right hand, and several ice spikes flew at Deidara who avoided getting speared narrowly.

"Deidara!" Juno, the keyboardist in Deidara's band shouted to his band-mate.

Haku, Gaara and Yugito then took that distraction as a chance to escape.

Everyone was paying attention to the Ragnarok members who have just left that no one was paying the slightest amount of attention to one Hoshigaki Kisame who almost had his eyes bulging out, his hands clenched into tight fists on his knees.

He knew that power.

It can't be…

'_Haku?' _Kisame thought. His brain had nearly stopped functioning. _'It can't be you, can it? My younger half-sister…'_

Meanwhile with the remaining Ragnarok members who are currently undercover, Shiki and Neji exchanged looks before they nodded as one.

Mission accomplished.

**XXXXXX**

The headlines of the newspapers were all splashed with the news that Ragnarok had appeared at the theatre hall of the Twilight Theatre Group.

There were several who were in two minds about Ragnarok appearing to the public after having gone dormant with Orochimaru's murder all those months ago. As a rule, Ragnarok rarely shows themselves to the public.

Half of Japan's population who were actually Ragnarok's supporters thinks that Ragnarok had actually done the right thing. The other half thinks that Ragnarok are no different from being murderers themselves. And there are also a small number who are mostly neutral.

The forum boards that discussed Ragnarok were almost flooded with messages on the day when news of Ragnarok was actually splashed all over the headlines of the newspapers all over Japan.

The entire story of Iesugawa Shuu and Ishigawa Keiko were splashed all over the newspapers as well. Surprisingly, there were many who have sympathized with Shuu, as in the end, he just wanted justice done for his lover's sake.

Unsurprisingly, Storm of Fire had disbanded after that fiasco, as what Deidara had told his teammates in the Akatsuki later on.

Aoyama Miyu couldn't take the fact that her two remaining band-mates have a hand involved in causing the death of her best friend, and she left the band. With Storm of Fire missing their lead keyboardist – the vital part in any band, the band disbanded.

And surprisingly, Aoyama Miyu later joined the Firefly band – Deidara's band, as their lead keyboardist. The current keyboardist, Juno, had actually suggested it, stating that Firefly actually requires two keyboardists for most of their performances anyway. And it is always a good thing to have a backup keyboardist, and Miyu is actually quite good with drums and guitars herself. And not to mention the fact that Juno is actually Miyu's childhood friend.

One week after that entire fiasco with Ragnarok and the Twilight Theatre Group can find Konan and Nagato seated somewhere in one of the seats in a theatre hall where Tendou Kyoko would be starring in her first play.

After Storm of Fire had disbanded, Tendou Kyoko had taken up acting, and is surprisingly popular. Though whether she is popular because of the recent mess with Ragnarok or with her own efforts, no one had any idea.

And several miles away, Itachi and Kisame were shadowing one Ishigawa Keiji in the streets.

Those were orders from Tsunade: shadow Ishigawa Keiji and Tendou Kyoko, and find evidence on their misdeeds so that the ANBU can bring them to justice.

Not that any of Akatsuki actually thinks that they would be able to find any.

"Personally, I'll prefer it if she dies." Konan growled to Nagato as the curtains slowly rolled down. "This is about the only time when I actually _hoped _that Ragnarok would do us all a favour and rid us of filth like that woman!"

Nagato said nothing, but he agreed with his girlfriend.

Even the entire Rendoku team had agreed with them.

But unfortunately, this is their job.

"It's starting." Nagato muttered as the lights dimmed, and Kyoko stepped out onto the stage, playing the part of the Star Princess of this play that she is currently starring in as the lead.

Nagato growled as he watched that woman stepped closer to the edge of the stage. For once, he preferred that Ragnarok actually let her die when she had fallen off the stage back then. She killed Ishigawa Keiko, and yet, neither Akatsuki nor Rendoku could find any evidence to prove it! In the end, is what Ragnarok had said is true?

Does the law truly have limits?

And that the only way to overcome those limits and to punish those that couldn't be touched by the law is to go outside the courts and the law?

Everyone in Akatsuki, and even Rendoku, has all been awfully silent after that mission. They were all probably pondering over what Ragnarok had said.

"Nagato." Konan touched his arm.

Nagato turned his attention back towards Tendou Kyoko, and he frowned as he watched the woman stepped closer to the edge of the stage, beginning to sing the opening tunes of the opening of the play. His eyes then flew opened in shock as shock was clearly visible on Kyoko's face just then, and she fell off the stage, despite numerous horrified shouts.

This time, there is no Ragnarok member who is there to catch her, and no one to save her.

With a loud thud, Tendou Kyoko fell nearly six feet off of the stage onto the ground, cracking her skull opened on the ground, and blood immediately started to pool around her.

Someone is already dialing for an ambulance, but Konan, as a medic, knew that it is of little use.

A fall from that height is enough to kill anyone.

How ironic.

Tendou Kyoko had died the same way that she had set up her rival to die.

**

* * *

**At the same exact moment, several miles away, Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi watched with expressionless eyes as a large crowd was crowding around a car, where the body of Ishigawa Keiji was beneath the car – having been ran over by said car several moments prior.

Blood was already starting to pool around the body of Ishigawa Keiji. And Itachi knew that he is probably already dead, as no one can lose that much blood and still be alive.

Both ANBUs present could have saved that guy from the car, but they didn't.

They _choose_ not to save him.

In their eyes, he is better off dead.

Tsunade would probably be pissed at them, but her orders are to gather information on Ishigawa Keiji, _not _protect him.

Maybe if her orders are to protect him, then Itachi or Kisame would have done something to save him when they'd seen that car hurtling towards Ishigawa Keiji.

Kisame gave a bitter chuckle. "What goes around comes around indeed," he said, repeating the words that the Ragnarok member had said on that disastrous day. On that day that had caused all of Akatsuki to doubt the ANBU, not that any of them had said anything about it. "Fate sure is ironic."

Itachi said nothing for several moments before he sighed.

"And in the end, we couldn't do anything to stop them, can we?" he muttered. "It's not like I _wanted _to stop them, but…" Itachi turned towards Kisame. "Tell me, Kisame. Do you think…that what Ragnarok is doing…is right? Are they right in the end? That the law has limits. And that the only way to overcome those limits and to punish those that couldn't be touched by the law is to go outside the courts and the law to do so? Is that the truth?"

Kisame was silent for a long time.

"…I have no idea."

* * *

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_Killing is killing, no matter the circumstances."_

"_We'll protect Shiki…with any way possible."_

"_Don't bow your head to them! Don't you have any pride as an ANBU, you slacker?!"_


	14. Round One! Ragnarok versus ANBU!

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Round One! Ragnarok versus ANBU!**

_ANBU Headquarters  
Leaf City_

It was another day at ANBU headquarters, and the entire Akatsuki team was lazing around, taking advantage of the free time that they have at present to relax. Sasori and Nagato were both currently engaged in a game of chess, with Kisame and Konan both watching the game in interest. Deidara had his feet propped up on the coffee table, reading some magazine that oddly resembles a porn magazine. And Itachi was reading and rereading their latest mission file over at his desk, ignoring the ongoing activities of his team members.

There was a loud clasp as Itachi closed the mission file that he was reading, and this caught the attention of every single one of his teammates who looked up at him at the same moment when Sasori took Nagato's queen. When the orange-haired telekinetic (1) looked down at the chess board, he gave out a low curse when he saw that he had lost to Sasori…yet again.

"Why though?" Itachi questioned quietly, sounding as if he was merely carrying on a conversation, not really looking at nothing in particular. "Why did Ragnarok did what they did? And why are they even doing this in the first place?"

The rest of Akatsuki exchanged looks at this.

So it is Ragnarok again, is it?

All of Akatsuki have been bothered by that group ever since their latest mission to the Twilight Theatre Group nearly two months ago.

That mysterious organisation who helps people all over Japan, and punishes criminals and those who deserves to be punished in the name of justice and vengeance, and their 'methods' of doing so.

_We're Ragnarok. We don't kill without a reason. But if we think that the client is doing the wrong thing, then we __**will**__stop them. That is the code of Ragnarok, and no one within Ragnarok will break it. If the ANBU can't tame the criminals in their own country, then we shall do it for you! When it actually comes down to it, the ANBU are completely useless, aren't they? They never come when we actually need you the most._

And even though none of them would admit it, the words spoken by that Ragnarok member had been getting to them ever since their mission. Rendoku was affected by those words as well, but as the members of that team were younger and less experienced than Akatsuki, and not to mention that they weren't there, they weren't that much affected like how Akatsuki was.

"I don't really understand it as well, Itachi. But my guess is that something must have happened to either one of them, or ALL of them at some point in their lives," said Konan quietly. "Unlike us, the ANBU had never managed to help them in time. And probably, at some point, that anger slowly turned to hatred. I do not agree with their methods, but you have to admit that what Ragnarok is doing…is probably right." Konan sighed. "Though you didn't hear me say that."

"I've gotten the reports about Ragnarok from that Shikamaru kid in Rendoku," said Sasori with a drawl. "And between the both of us, we've managed to draw up some conclusions from what little evidence that we have, and the few conclusions that we have managed to put together so far."

Deidara frowned. "Like?"

"Inter-dimensional abilities."

Kisame blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?"

Sasori sighed. "All of you were there," he said patiently. "You were there at the theatre house when those three from Ragnarok have made their appearance. You saw what they did. They are nin-users. And if that is so, then that probably explains a lot – like why we'd never found any evidence on Ragnarok at all throughout the years, or even caught a glimpse of them. And why we only found the bodies of their victims each and every time that we emerged onto the crime scene, despite them leaving only mere moments ago. One among Ragnarok must have the ability to traverse dimensions, or even create an inter-dimension world, or even stop time."

Nagato then frowned. "Wait a moment," he said. "Assuming that they really _are _nin-users as you've said that they are, then why is it that the ANBU had never found them? ANBU always keeps a close track on nin-users – no matter which part of the world that they're from – even if they are from the countries of those that are not so friendly with us. I mean, you _can't_ hide your powers if you even have any, as some sign of it will be shown from birth. We all had first-hand experience of it."

Sasori sighed, running a hand through his red hair. "Like I said, this is only a speculation on mine and Shikamaru's parts," he explained. "We're not one hundred percent sure that Ragnarok are _all_ nin-users. But there is a good chance of that happening."

Sasori gestured towards the folder on the table beside him. "I've been going through all the mission reports that we have been on over the past week or so. Seventy eight percent of those missions that have to do with nin-users or had people involved that couldn't be touched by the law were connected with Ragnarok. In other words, Ragnarok is a bit of a nin-user sympathiser, and they tend to take matters into their own hands."

Itachi then frowned, having stayed silent all this while to listen to what Sasori had to say. "And I've been reading up on the notes concerning the leader of Ragnarok," he said slowly, leafing through the folder that he currently had with him. "We only know a little about her from what little information that we've managed to put together throughout the years. She sure is mysterious and resourceful." He shook his head, not wanting to admit that someone had gotten the best of him, yet he has no choice but to admit it. "This Twila…"

Itachi's eyes then narrowed together as the words of that name escaped his lips, and a long almost forgotten memory came to the surface of his mind just then…

_Twila._

_Huh?_

_You refused to tell me your name, so I shall give you one. I can't keep calling you 'you' all the time, can I? Besides, I think Twila meant 'justice' in Latin, and it meant 'freedom' in another language as well, I think. It kind of suits you anyway._

_You're persistent._

"…Itachi!" Kisame called out again, and Itachi snapped his head up to look at his team. The water nin-user who is the second-in-command of the Akatsuki team was looking at his best friend with worry. "What's the matter? You zoned out on us a moment ago."

"It's…nothing." Itachi mumbled, looking back to the folder in his hand, though he wasn't really _looking _at it, per say, as his mind was running a hundred miles per minute as he thought about all the possible conclusions. _'Could it be…? No. It couldn't be.' _"Nothing's the matter."

The rest of Akatsuki were all looking at their captain strangely before Sasori coughed loudly into his hand before continuing his analysis on Ragnarok, having attention brought back to the redhead.

"What we know about Ragnarok isn't a lot, as you guys probably knew, seeing as how we've been after them for the past four years," said Sasori seriously, and everyone nodded. "So far, we do not know of their exact numbers, but I'm going to estimate that they probably have about five or more members. Ragnarok also never hurt any innocents, since every single one of their victims are top-class criminals, or people who had committed heinous acts, or even criminals who couldn't be touched by the law. Some of their victims actually slipped us by, and that's when Ragnarok actually makes their appearance. Some of their victims are relatively well-known criminals like Nakashita Toriya and Orochimaru, among others. Tsunade-sama and the Chief are in two minds about this, since the Chief just wanted us to leave Ragnarok alone, but Tsunade-sama wouldn't hear anything about it." Sasori sighed. "Well, that's all the information that we have on Ragnarok so far."

Konan sighed. "Four years of investigating, and we only found out _now _that they're nin-users," she muttered. "What fine ANBUs we are." She said that last part sarcastically. "But regardless, we can't just leave them be."

Deidara sighed. "Well, I can't say that I don't understand their reasons in doing what they did, but killing is killing, no matter the circumstances," he said.

Itachi sighed. "Anyway, it looks like we're going to have our work cut out for us," he said briskly. "Sasori, Nagato and Konan." The three mentioned looked up. "I want the three of you to dig out all our old mission records, even those that we are not involved in."

"Itachi, we've already done that a hundred times!" Konan protested.

"Records on nin-users." Itachi interrupted, and all of Akatsuki went 'huh?'. The captain of the Akatsuki then sighed. "We've only recently acquired concrete information that most, if not all of Ragnarok, are nin-users. If that is true, then there must be records of them somewhere in the old ANBU archives. Especially that girl that uses ice."

Kisame fidgeted uncomfortably at this which no one noticed.

"The dead as well?" Nagato questioned, and Itachi nodded.

Before he could say anything else, the phone on Itachi's desk rang shrilly, startling the lot of them. Itachi picked up the phone receiver before it could ring a second time and answered it.

"Hello?" Itachi spoke into the receiver, and he then narrowed his eyes as he listened intently to what the person on the other end of the line had to say. There was a slight pause before he answered again. "Are you sure that you're not pulling my leg?" He listened for a few moments again before he sighed. "Fine, I'll understand. We'll head over there immediately. But if this actually turns out to be some kind of hoax, I'll have your head."

He then hung up.

"What's wrong?" asked Kisame in concern.

"We have a call," said Itachi briskly. "Someone had found a girl's body in the female restroom of Yukina High." He then frowned a little. "Anyway, the circumstances surrounding her death are a little…strange."

"In what way?" Deidara questioned, and Itachi hesitated.

"Well, apparently, that girl died of blood loss…but there's no blood near her or _on_ her, for that matter." Itachi explained, and everyone froze.

"How is that even possible?" Kisame nearly spluttered.

"How on earth should I know _that?"_ Itachi asked irritably. "Anyway, the forensics team is over at the school now, along with a coroner. Let's get going so we'll understand the situation."

**XXXXXX**

_Yukina High School  
Yukiwa, Japan_

The outside of the female restroom where the girl's body was discovered was packed with several curious onlookers when the Akatsuki had arrived at Yukina High School, with the onlookers all trying to get a glimpse inside, but was kept back by two random ANBU agents from the removal team. Also, the door of the restroom was shut, not allowing anyone to so much as catch a glimpse inside.

Itachi and Kisame barely managed to make it inside the restroom, despite shouts and protests from the curious onlookers, among which consisted of a few nosy reporters from the local newspaper – the _Konoha Daily. _The remaining members of Akatsuki have gone around questioning the witnesses, as well as investigating the surrounding areas of the school.

Itachi breathed a sigh of relief as both he and Kisame managed to make it into the restroom in one piece, and a light chuckle made him look up only to see Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji standing in front of them. Shikamaru had a pair of disposal gloves on, apparently having been the one to do the autopsy, as the teen was originally from Forensics before being transferred to Criminal Affairs as part of Rendoku.

And from what Itachi had heard from his brother, Shikamaru actually runs the show there back then, having been a brilliant forensic scientist and computer hacker.

Forensics had actually put up quite a fight when the news got to their ears a few years back that Tsunade had wanted Shikamaru to be transferred to Criminal Affairs as part of Rendoku, thinking that Shikamaru can help the ANBU more as part of Criminal Affairs – rather the same way like how Deidara was transferred to Criminal Affairs from the nuclear and explosives department.

"Got mobbed by those vultures outside?" Chouji asked with a grin, and Kisame growled low in his throat. "Forensics couldn't send anyone at the moment, thus, Tsunade-sama asked Shikamaru to come in their steed instead." He added, answering the unanswered question. "Ino doesn't feel secure enough to allow Shikamaru to run about by himself, thus, I came along as his chaperone."

Itachi sighed, knowing that the worries of the Yamanaka girl in his brother's team probably isn't that unfounded. The Nara might be a genius that only comes about once in a century, but he is as lazy as you can get. He will gladly spend all his time sleeping if that Ino girl didn't make it her duty to make sure that Shikamaru actually does his job. Privately, Itachi suspects that Tsunade had probably transferred Shikamaru to Criminal Affairs as she thinks that it might make him less lazy.

"So what's the situation?" asked Itachi, going into professional mode.

"Right. The situation." Shikamaru drawled, stripping off the disposal gloves on his hands. "Troublesome." He muttered beneath his breath.

The lazy genius then sighed and motioned for both Itachi and Kisame to follow him which they both did, with Chouji tagging along after them.

Shikamaru led them to a closed-off area near one of the cubicles, and knelt down next to the barricaded area which ANBU agents had put up a roll of yellow and black tape around it, with the words 'Keep Out' written in bold visible on the tape. There were also a few number plaques placed in certain spots around the barricaded area.

Two agents in the removal team were zipping up what seems to be the girl's body in a black body bag before hoisting it up between them on a stretcher. One of them turned towards Shikamaru just then.

"Shikamaru-san, I'll take it back to headquarters then."

Shikamaru waved his hand at them before the two agents left the restroom, leaving Itachi and Kisame alone with the two younger agents.

"First, take a good look around you," said Shikamaru seriously, in full-blown ANBU mode right now, a clipboard in his left hand, waving his right hand at the surrounding areas. "Do you see any blood around?"

"Well, now that you've mentioned it…" Kisame muttered, looking left and right as he did so. "No."

Shikamaru sighed. "I'd figured out the cause of death the moment that I've gotten around to examining that girl," he said. "It might be years since I'd last performed an autopsy, but my skills hadn't rusted in the slightest. It was the cause of death that is so absurd that I'd called in the Akatsuki. I hate to admit it, but it's the Akatsuki who is better versed at dealing with cases like this, compared to Rendoku. You didn't hear it from me though."

Itachi coughed as Kisame grinned.

Both knew that Sasuke wouldn't be at all pleased to hear that at all. There is a kind of rivalry between both Akatsuki and Rendoku ever since the founding and formation of the latter.

"Anyway, the cause of death is so absurd that we think that it either might have something to do with Ragnarok or some nin-user," said Shikamaru seriously, and both Kisame and Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, from what I'd heard from some of the other agents who were here prior to our arrivals, the body of the victim was found at precisely at seven in the morning by one of the school's cleaners. The poor cleaner actually screamed the place down when she'd realised that the girl was already dead. Apparently, she had assumed initially that the girl had just fainted or something. One of the agents doing the disposal – the removal team, had done the questioning of the cleaner for you. You can pick up the statements at your office later."

"The cause of death?" Kisame questioned.

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome," he muttered. "I'm coming to that, so don't rush me!" He cleared his throat. "The cause of death is blood loss, and that's the odd thing here." Brown eyes meet startled onyx and gray. "No blood was found on the victim or even near her. Scratch that."

Shikamaru shook his head. "There isn't a single drop of blood left in her body at all!" Itachi and Kisame's blood froze as they heard that. "Either this restroom isn't the actual scene of murder, which may I remind you, is highly unlikely, taking in account of all the statements and evidences at hand, or the murderer in question here…isn't human."

"What do you mean?" asked Itachi quickly.

Chouji was the one who'd answered that. "There are no injuries on her body at all," he answered. "Not a single one. It was like the blood had just disappeared out of her body. And one of the agents with the removal team had found something strange. It was the only clue which they could find." He gestured towards a section of the wall near them.

Itachi frowned as he approached the section of the wall, being followed closely by Kisame. Shikamaru and Chouji weren't too far behind them as well. That section of the wall that Chouji had pointed out had words written on it in blood.

And it only had one word written on it: _Vlad._

**

* * *

**Hours later, after questioning all the witnesses, and practically turning the entire school upside-down, Itachi decided to call it a day after gathering all possible evidences and witnesses, and had his entire team gathered back at their office in ANBU headquarters.

The raven haired teen could see why Shikamaru had deemed it necessary to call the Akatsuki in, and why even the lazy genius was so puzzled over the case – no normal human should be capable of committing a murder like this _unless _they're a nin-user.

The murder case itself in question had too many questionable points as well.

The first one being that no one had even heard anything in the early morning, and Shikamaru's autopsy report had stated there clearly in black and white that the girl had died sometime between five in the morning to seven in the morning. That was around the timing when the cleaner had discovered the body.

The second point was that Yukina High was located in the residential restrict of the town of Yukiwa. This fact alone meant that some of the residents could tell them something if anything out of the ordinary had happened, as many residents were usually up and about before the sun had even rose in the sky.

And the final fact alone is one that had all of Akatsuki puzzled. Being the mere simple fact alone that there were no injuries of any sort visible on the victim's body that gave them any clues as to just _how _she had died of blood loss.

Even a nin-user is human too. They had to create some sort of entry wound on the girl's body for her to have lose this much blood.

But they'd found nothing of that sort.

To sum it up in one word, Itachi had a major migraine the size of a mountain whilst puzzling over this absurd case with his team.

"That's it! I give up!" Deidara nearly groaned, slumping forwards onto the table which was covered with papers, reports and photographs. "I can't make head of tail of this case at all!"

Nagato sighed, rubbing his eyes as he looked over one of the many reports currently on the table. "No one had seen anything. No one had heard anything. There is no sign of forced entry. The school's surveillance cameras caught nothing at all. There is no sign of any blood _anywhere _in the school. And it is still a mystery to this day just _how _the girl had such severe blood loss to the point of death!" He sighed. "This is getting ridiculous. No one had seen anything, and no one had heard anything. I'm starting to believe that it couldn't even have happened!"

"It isn't like either one of you to give up so quickly." Konan chided as she handed a cup of steaming hot coffee to Nagato who took it with a grateful nod, and she handed the other cup in her hand to Deidara who looked almost half-asleep.

On the same couch that Deidara was sitting on, Sasori was tapping away at his notebook computer with one hand, the other hand supporting his chin. Kisame was looking through all the reports, scribbling down notes every now and then in the small notebook that he had with him. And Itachi was scanning his eyes over one of the many reports in his hand, comparing it to the autopsy report that Shikamaru had handed him.

The entire Akatsuki team had spent the night at their office in ANBU headquarters, all of them trying to make heads or tails of the murder case.

"I don't get a single word of this at all," said Nagato at last, looking up from his computer. "And the way that this murder was done…" He trailed off, and sighed. "Even a nin-user would have to create a wound somewhere on the body of the victim. The way that this murder was done…" Nagato trailed off. "It isn't normal."

"It _has_ to be done by a human," said Kisame stubbornly. "It's just…strange, that's all."

Itachi sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly, and his entire team looked at him worriedly.

Out of all of them, Itachi has been the one who had worked the hardest. He had spent the entire day alone personally questioning all the witnesses once more, as well as investigating the murder scene, and asking Shikamaru his own opinion of the victim's death. Anymore, and Itachi will probably collapse.

"I just want to know which sane person on earth will drain a person's blood like that," said Itachi tiredly. "As far as I know, there is no power recorded that could do something like that, and ANBU kept regular up-to-date records about the nin-users and their powers."

The rest of Akatsuki exchanged looks.

It is true that the ANBU kept a pretty large database on which was listed the profiles of every nin-user ever known to them, as well as a pretty detailed description of their powers, and what they could do. Even the level of their power was listed. That database was also kept pretty up-to-date, and Akatsuki and Rendoku had often used that database for investigations.

Deidara sighed, leaning back into the couch, one arm propped up behind his head as he did so, taking a sip of the cup of coffee in his other hand. "I _really_ can't think of anything but Dracula," he stated, as he scalded his tongue with the hot coffee. "Ouch!"

Kisame gave a snort of laughter. "You'd been reading way too many Dracula novels, or you'd watched too many movies, Dei," he said with a shark-like grin that showed off his very impressive teeth. "Vampires don't exist." He then turned towards Itachi. "So, what do you think about this?"

Itachi sighed. "Well, there's only one clue alone that I can figure out, since the other clues made little to no sense," he said in response to Kisame's question, and everyone turned towards their captain. Itachi took the photograph of the word written in blood on the restroom wall, and showed it to his team before placing it onto the table, tapping on the photograph with his index finger. "Vlad. It is a word that I'd heard before."

Kisame then frowned. "What does that word mean?" he asked. "I know that it means _something,_ but I don't know what."

Itachi sighed. "Well, if you'd read the novel Dracula before, then you should find this word familiar," he stated, and everyone stared at him. "The novel Dracula was actually modelled after a real person. It was modelled after a person named Vlad Tepes who was the ruler of a small kingdom centuries ago. Tepes also means 'impaler' in another language."

Konan paled. "Impaler?"

Itachi nodded grimly, and everyone hung onto his every word. "Vlad Tepes was called 'the Impaler' by his enemies, as he impaled the bodies of his enemies on stakes to give enemy countries warnings. As many thought that it wasn't something that a normal human will do, they gave him the name of 'Impaler', and that was also when the rumours about vampires started to spread."

"That's nice and all, but what has it got to do with the current case?" asked Nagato with a frown.

Itachi sighed. "I'm getting to that," he snapped. "As all of you are aware, there are many stories and legends associated with the nin-users of the land. And one of the legends associated with the nin-users is that of an ancient legend about an extremely beautiful woman who is apparently a witch doctor. You know, doctors who can treat strange ailments and diseases that no one could seem to cure? And as the story goes, one day, the woman started to find that signs of old age were starting to appear on her face, and she took to killing young women and bathing in their blood to keep herself looking young."

The rest of Akatsuki looked quite sick as the mental image came to their heads.

"And as the story goes, the bodies of those young women had blood drained from their bodies, but there was no sign of any injuries whatsoever on their bodies. I did some research on this legend, and I found out that the witch doctor in this legend is said to belong to a rare race of nin-users – nin-users who had the special ability to manipulate metal properties and the blood in a human's body. In other words, they had the ability to control blood. That's why I think that this case has something to do with that story. The similarities are too similar."

"So in other words…" Deidara trailed off slowly.

Itachi nodded grimly. "Yeah. I think that the murderer whom we're looking for is probably a nin-user like us. And one who had this unique ability to control the blood in someone's body."

Sasori then frowned. "But if this ability that you've said truly does exist, and that the guy whom we're looking for probably has this power, then how in the nine layers of hell are we supposed to catch someone who can probably kill us without even touching us?"

Itachi almost sweat dropped. "That's…a good question."

**XXXXXX**

_Yukiwa Forest  
Yukiwa, Japan_

It was currently nightfall, and the moon with its alluring moonlight had its rays shining onto the world, creating several strange shadows in the forest of Yukiwa – a forest that surrounded the town of Yukiwa.

And the members of Ragnarok were scattered throughout the forest, all paired in twos or threes, with a communicator in their ears to enable easy communication.

Namikaze Shiki had a pair of binoculars trained to her eyes as she scanned the dark forest for any strange movements, whilst Shino who is her partner for this job was doing the same thing next to her. The communicator in her ear cackled and came to life just then.

"_Shiki, there is nothing so far."_

Shiki sighed as she removed the binoculars from her eyes as Temari's voice cackled through. "Continue looking," she said, speaking into her communicator. "We definitely can't allow him to continue rampaging."

"_Roger."_

Shino and Shiki exchanged looks before sighing, both recalling the conversation that all of Ragnarok had among themselves earlier that day.

**

* * *

**_Flashback:_

"_A 'Dracula' murder?" Kankuro echoed. "What is that?"_

_Shiki sighed. "Someone who had the unique power to control blood has been going on a rampage," she answered. "This information came from Jiraiya, so it couldn't be wrong. He wants us to stop this guy before something drastic happens."_

"_Rampage, you say…" said Hinata slowly. "Jiraiya wants us to kill him?"_

_Shiki sighed. "To put it in simpler terms, yes," she said._

_Flashback Ends:_

**

* * *

**Shiki sighed before she trained the binoculars to her eyes and continued looking in the darkness of the forest.

Both said nothing for several moments before Shiki broke the silence.

"So you're bothered as well, Shino?" she stated calmly, not removing the binoculars from her eyes.

Shino looked at her, startled. He then sighed and nodded. "I can't help it," he said.

Shiki removed the binoculars from her eyes and glanced at Shino. She said nothing for several moments as she studied Shino before speaking. "If I'm not mistaken, your power is a little like 'leeching' as well, isn't it? Apart from your gift to control insects."

"I take life force and energy, Shiki." Shino corrected. "Not blood."

"But still, you can't ignore the fact that there is someone with similar powers to yours out there," said Shiki calmly.

Shino nodded.

Shiki studied him for several moments before sighing, and turning towards him. "Listen, Shino," she said seriously. "I understand your feelings on this matter, but we all took an oath the day when Ragnarok was first founded. We swore to stop things like this from happening, especially since nin-users already had a bad enough name as it is."

"I understand that," said Shino quietly.

Shiki's communicator cackled just then, and Neji's voice came through, sounding both excited and anxious.

"_Oi, Shiki! He's here!"_

Shiki and Shino exchanged looks before nodding as one.

Commence mission!

**XXXXXX**

_Blood…_

_He needs blood badly…_

_He craved it so much that it is slowly driving him insane._

_The blood of that girl is sweet, but it isn't enough to satisfy him._

_And neither is the blood of the countless animals that he'd taken as well._

_**I shall give you a gift. Give into your instincts.**_

_He growled as he smashed a hole through the nearest tree, startling several birds into flight from the trees, when he remembered what the owner of that voice had said. He'd gave and gave for countless years, and this is how they repaid him? He really should have taken __**her**__ advice, and got out of there whilst he still could._

…_wait a moment._

_He sniffed in the air._

_Blood…_

_Sweet wondrous blood…_

_He can smell it._

_It is close._

_And he __**needs **__it._

**XXXXXX**

Perched on a tree branch, Kinzoku Tenten trained the binoculars to her eyes as she didn't let the man whom she had been shadowing out of her sight. The man was covered in blood as well – from his mouth all the way to the chest. And his coat and shirt were also stained red with blood, with the fabric being tattered and torn.

Tenten sighed as she lowered the binoculars from her eyes, with the daggers hanging from the belt by her sides giving a light clink every now and then.

"Found you," she whispered.

Hyuuga Neji who is standing behind her on the same branch sighed as he watched the guy below staggered about in a half-crazed frenzy, grabbing any poor unsuspecting animal that he could get his hands on.

Neji and Tenten both watched as the poor squirrel in the hand of the guy below, squirmed about in his hand before it twitched and laid still. And not even a moment later, a cloud of dark red mist which seems strangely like blood appeared in the air from the obviously dead squirrel, and evaporated like mist.

Neji sighed. "Let's get to it," he said, and Tenten nodded grimly. The Hyuuga then pushed back the white sleeve of his shirt, and his hand glowed green. "My apologies." He whispered quietly to the man below, though he knew that the guy probably couldn't hear him in his current state. "But this is a better fate for you. You can't go back to what you once were before." Neji then sighed, and a pale green barrier appeared around the man, barricading him in. Neji's eyes then flew opened. _"Aetas! (Time)"_

**XXXXXX**

Shiki, along with the rest of Ragnarok, soon arrived at where Neji and Tenten were, with the former giving the coordinates of his location to the others via his communicator earlier. Everyone was now staring at the bloodstained remains of what was once a man who was lying on the forest bed, his blood soaking deep into the soil.

Hinata sighed before turning towards Neji. "A little too much, don't you think, Neji-nii-san?" she asked reprovingly.

Neji shrugged. "Hey, we have our orders to take this guy out," he said defensively. "Besides, I only stopped his heart from beating until I'm sure that he's dead. He's already covered in blood when we'd found him. Tenten can clarify it for me." Tenten nodded. Neji then sighed. "This is really a pain in the ass." He muttered. "Covering up his tracks back at the school, especially the blood, so that the ANBU wouldn't trace his location here."

Shiki sighed. "Neji."

Neji sighed. "Roger that," he said before making several motions in the air with his index and middle fingers on the right hand, and muttered, _"Obex."_

A pale green barrier surrounded the body of the man instantly. Neji then made a slashing motion from up to down with his index and middle fingers as he did so. _"Defluo."_

There was a light boom before the pale green barrier surrounding the man's body exploded, with his body along with it.

Shiki then sighed. "Let's go," she said, and the rest of Ragnarok nodded before moving away from the forest, and towards the lakeside where their boathouse was anchored. All but Shiki, who had remained behind at the spot where the man had just died.

Shiki sighed, looking at the bloodstained areas of the forest bed which is the only evidence of his existence. Jiraiya had tipped her off about this man, and rather than letting ANBU get their hands on him, Ragnarok had to do the next best thing possible: eliminate him.

'_Forgive me, Hidan,' _thought Shiki.

Soft footsteps behind her caused Shiki to turn around, only to see Shino approaching her with a solemn look on his face. "That guy…Hidan…" said Shino slowly. "He is one of your informants in the ANBU, isn't he?" He turned towards Shiki. "I know that I've heard of him. He is an agent serving in the Combat division of the ANBU – a first class combat specialist who had been one of ANBU's best during the war. And because he's a combat specialist – a member of the unit that is ANBU's best kept secret, any information about him and his powers as a nin-user are kept under lock and key. It wouldn't be on record anywhere."

Shiki sighed and nodded. "I told him to get out of the ANBU whilst he still could two weeks ago," she said. "The ANBU are getting suspicious, and I know that they have all rights to, as we knew all about their movements before they'd even moved. It wouldn't be strange for them to think that they have a traitor within their midst. It's only a matter of time before Hidan will be discovered. That's why I told him to get out of there. But he told me that he couldn't."

Shino stared. "Why not?"

Shiki was silent for a long time.

"Jiraiya told me the same thing that Hidan did a long time ago," she said at last. "The option to resign from the ANBU isn't part of their protocol." Shiki then sighed. "If a member of the ANBU absolutely has to leave due to personal reasons, they will merely be 'put on leave'. And if it drags on too long, and it looks like they won't be coming back, then their name will be removed from the register."

"In the ANBU, cases like this are served with a case-to-case basis, but most agents who have situations like that who have ended up going 'missing' for long periods of time from the ANBU will usually end up having the removal teams from the ANBU chasing after them – those who actually takes care of traitors within the ANBU. In other words, an agent serving in the ANBU isn't just allowed to resign." Shiki turned to look at a gobsmacked Shino. "Once you're in the ANBU, you're in it for life. You can't leave without being dismissed by them, usually through death."

Shino sounded oddly spooked as he spoke. "Why?" He wanted to know. "Why go through all that trouble?"

"The ANBU is a refined organisation, one which protects the security and keeps the peace of this country." The sneer on Shiki's face told Shino just what she thought of that idea. "Thus, they couldn't just allow some misfit who had once been part of them just walk free. Furthermore, once you're an agent of the ANBU, you know several of their secrets. Thus, all the more reason that they can't let you walk free." She then sighed. "This is what the High Council, the highest ruling council of the country of Japan, had decided. This is the way of the ANBU, and no one can break it."

Shiki sighed. _'And this also meant that there is no way that Itachi will be able to leave them too.'_

"About Hidan…" said Shino slowly, trying to change the topic as it is getting way too disturbing for his liking. The insect user glanced at the bloodstained area on the forest bed before turning back towards Shiki. "This isn't normal. What had happened to him?"

Shiki sighed. She should have known that Shino would have realised it too. "You're right, Shino," she said. "No nin-user could lose control of his own power the way that he did." Shiki narrowed her eyes, clenching her hands into fists by her sides. "Someone had switched the genes of his nin-ability. In other words, he was experimented on."

Shino's eyes were wide. "Huh?"

But Shiki didn't elaborate on what she had said. "Head back without me first," she said. "Or the others will start to worry. I'll be there soon."

Shino nodded slowly before moving away from the scene.

Shiki sighed as she looked down at the bloodstained area of the forest bed, her hands stuffed in her pockets. _'I hope that I'm just reading too much into things,' _she thought, a frown on her face. _'Only someone like Orochimaru could do what had just transpired to Hidan – a nin-user. I hate to admit it, but that snake bastard is a scientific genius. And when he had died, the ANBU got their hands on all his research material, and his notes. But the ANBU…' _Shiki frowned before shaking her head. _'No. Even the ANBU wouldn't do something like this.'_

"Shiki."

Shiki turned at the sound of her name only to see the form of her godfather walking up to her. The redhead inclined her head respectfully to the white haired man. "Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya sighed with frustration. "You're never going to stop calling me that, are you?" he asked with exasperation, and Shiki smiled. "Never mind that." He dug his hand into his pocket before drawing out a CD jewel case with a CD resting within it. "I've got what you wanted."

Jiraiya passed the CD to Shiki. "You and your little group caused quite a stir when I've told you about Hidan, and you went to great lengths to cover up his tracks. But it is also thanks to that that the ANBU didn't notice me hacking into their computers and downloading the information." He then smirked. "The ANBU should really step up on the security of their computers. Anyone can just hack into their computers, and they would be none the wiser."

Shiki chuckled to herself, shaking her head. "I'll be sure to let them know that the next time that we meet," she said.

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Docks of Yukiwa _

"There she is!" said Haku the moment that Shiki had walked into the boathouse, closing the door behind her. "Where have you been?"

Shiki managed a small smile. "Sorry. I have to meet Jiraiya," she said. "And I'm sorry to impose this on you so soon, but we have to get to our next job. And it'll be a little troublesome." Neji raised one eyebrow as Shiki removed the CD jewel case from her pocket, showing it to her friends. "I need four of you to deliver this to Arashi and Sasame who are currently in Shirokyu. Be prepared for ANBU to come after you during this mission though." Shiki then smirked. "Any volunteers?"

**

* * *

**Haku took the CD from Shiki before tucking it away safely into a pouch around her waist before she turned towards the three others who are sent on this mission with her – Tenten, Neji and Kankuro.

All four of them were dressed in dark hooded coats buttoned up, and they'll also be travelling on motorcycles – with both Haku and Tenten riding pillion on Neji and Kankuro's bikes – especially since the route that they would be taking to Shirokyu mostly consists of mountain paths.

Arashi had been informed of this mission via cellphone by Shiki, and especially since it's too risky to send the information about most of Oto and Ne's members, as well as the activities that they've been up to through email, Shiki had decided to hand deliver it to Arashi personally.

"I'm counting on all four of you," said Shiki seriously, and the four mentioned nodded. "I'll be in contact soon about ANBU's movements. Shino is going to try hacking into their system. We wouldn't be able to stay in their system for long, so make use of whatever information that we could get our hands on."

"Leave it to us," said Haku with a smile before getting behind Neji.

And with a loud roar, they were gone.

Shiki then sighed as she entered the boathouse, and closed and latched the door. She then turned towards Shino who was sitting in front of his computer as usual. "Shino, do your thing," she said, and Shino nodded, with both Temari and Gaara peering over his shoulder curiously. Shiki then sighed. "Without a doubt, ANBU will be coming after us soon enough."

**XXXXXX**

_Mountain Path to Shirokyu  
Japan_

Haku frowned, unseen beneath the safety helmet that she's wearing, as she turned around in her spot behind Neji as he rode his motorcycle steadily on, with Kankuro in front of him, with Tenten sitting behind him. Haku's sharp eyes caught sight of a van's headlights shining steadily on several meters behind them.

"Guys, we're being followed," said Haku. "I'll bet that it's ANBU. Shiki did warn us about this."

"What should we do?" asked Kankuro. "Shake them off or engage them in combat?"

"I'll prefer the latter," said Tenten snidely, fingering the daggers by her sides. "I owe the ANBU a debt that I would like to repay…in full."

Neji sighed. "It's virtually impossible to do the former, Haku, since I'll bet half my life that ANBU will send some of their best agents," he said. "I'll stick to the latter. But let's wait till Shiki sends us some information regarding the ANBU sent after us. It's best not to go rushing headlong into things like that."

**

* * *

**_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Docks of Yukiwa _

Shino stiffened as he read and reread the information currently showing up on his computer, making sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

Gaara noticed his unease, and called out to him, catching the attention of both Shiki and Temari as he did so. "Shino, what is it?"

Shino ignored Gaara as he read the data showing up on his screen, trying to remember as much of the data as he could possibly remember. When a series of different codes to the ones that Shino is expecting showed up on his screen, he quickly backed out of the ANBU's system, and made sure to 'lock' the 'door' that he had created as a 'pathway' into the ANBU's system, so that they couldn't trace him.

Shino was taught by Jiraiya to do all that, and he had taken to computer hacking like a fish to water. And there is no one in this world who could surpass Jiraiya's superb computer skills yet.

Shino then turned towards Shiki who was staring at him over her novel.

"Shiki, it isn't good," he said grimly. "It's them."

Shiki turned towards Shino. "The ANBU sent after them?"

"Yeah," said Shino with a grim nod. "I've managed to get as much information as I could before their system trapped me in there. But what I've managed to attain is enough." He paused, looking from one to the other. "Rendoku members." Shino stated. "Four of them are sent, along with two Akatsuki members."

"Who is it?"

"Uchiha Sasuke, the captain of Rendoku, Nara Shikamaru, Haruno Sakura and Rock Lee," said Shino. "The latter two, you don't have to worry about them. The ones that are giving cause for worry are their leader and his second-in-command – Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru. But even they're the small fry, compared to the Akatsuki."

"ANBU's top agents?" Temari mused.

"Yeah," said Shino with a nod. "Those guys are dangerous – they're the top nin-users, the best that the ANBU had. They're unlike the B or low A-class nin-users that make up half of Rendoku. The Akatsuki are probably as good as us."

Shiki frowned.

This isn't good.

"Which Akatsuki members are sent?" she asked sharply.

"Hoshigaki Kisame," said Shino, switching to the information database that he'd created himself, clicking on a profile, and the profile of said ANBU showed up. "Akatsuki's number two, and vice-captain of team Akatsuki. He's a water nin-user like Haku, but unlike her ice abilities and abilities to heal using water, Kisame's abilities are attack based. And the other Akatsuki member sent…" He clicked on a profile, and the profile of said ANBU member showed up. "ANBU's top agent, and also the most dangerous nin-user in ANBU. Uchiha Itachi, captain of Akatsuki, and ANBU's number one."

**

* * *

**"Nani?!" Haku nearly screeched as she listened to what Shiki had to say via her cellphone whilst clinging onto Neji tightly as his speed increased to put some distance between themselves and the ANBUs sent after them. "Four Rendoku members and two of Akatsuki's top cards?!"

"_Yeah," _said Shiki. _"You don't have to worry about Haruno Sakura and Rock Lee of Rendoku – those two aren't nin-users, but still not to be trifled with. Rock Lee is an amazing fighter and one of the best fighters in ANBU. Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru are nin-users. The former is a fire user, and the latter is a shadow user who can bind your movements by using your shadow. But the ones that you have to worry about are Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame of Akatsuki – the top cards in ANBU."_

Haku nearly dropped her phone at hearing exactly who the two in Akatsuki are sent after them.

"_Haku? Haku?! Are you there?!"_

"Er…yeah. Sorry," mumbled Haku. "Our orders?"

Shiki sighed at the other end of the line. _"If possible, __**don't**__ kill them," _she said. _"We are not murderers. We don't kill needlessly."_

"Got it," said Haku. "In other words, you want us to engage them in battle, and prevent them from chasing after us and catching sight of Arashi, right?"

"_Yeah," _said Shiki. _"But just in case, I've sent Sumaru and Hotaru to help you guys. Those two are professionals in their line – they're bounty hunters and former gang members of my old gang Blade. They can each hold their own in a fight, despite not being nin-users. After all, I __**trained**__ them. They should be there within ten minutes."_

"Gotcha," said Haku. "I'm going to hang up now. They're closing in on us."

"Haku?" questioned Tenten as Haku hung up.

"Find a wide enough space for the fight," said Haku grimly. "We'll have to stop them somehow, as they _mustn't_ catch sight of Arashi! And they must _never _get their hands on the disk!"

"Roger that," said Neji before both himself and Kankuro increased their speed, and sped up the mountain path, only to come onto a wider path – wide enough for their upcoming fight, and both Neji and Kankuro stopped their motorcycles and got off their vehicles, removing their safety helmets.

Before the ANBU turned up however, there was a roar of a motorcycle's engine, and all four Ragnarok members turned around only to see a motorcycle skid to a stop near them, and the two occupants got off to reveal themselves to be Sumaru and Hotaru.

"Sumaru? Hotaru?"

"Shiki sent us here," said Sumaru coldly. "We're only doing this to help her."

Haku can only stare.

For as long as she'd remembered, Sumaru had never liked any of the members of Ragnarok, apart from Shiki. And yet, he is one of those that knew the identities of the members of Ragnarok. Haku didn't like Sumaru, along with every other in Ragnarok, but since Shiki trusted him, she chose to reserve her judgment on him.

"Huh?"

"If any of you died, Shiki will be hurt," said Hotaru pleasantly. "We're only doing this for her."

Among the two, Haku liked Hotaru better, as the girl is easier to get along with, and wouldn't be half-inclined to chew your head off if you so much as just talk to her.

"Why?"

"You took her from us," hissed Sumaru.

"Huh?"

"I understand the circumstances, and why Shiki had to leave," said Sumaru. "But the fact still remains unchanged. Shiki's originally ours. She's Blade's leader. But you took her from us. We made a vow a long time ago when Shiki had rescued us from the hell that is Hagako's slums…we made a vow to protect her in any way possible. We'll protect Shiki…with any way possible." Sumaru narrowed his eyes. "That's why we are here."

Haku looked warily at Sumaru and Hotaru. "She doesn't want any ANBU to die," she said.

"I know," said Hotaru. "While I don't like the idea of this, I understand her ideals as well. Those are the same ideals on which Blade was built on."

"Hotaru," said Sumaru as everyone present could hear the sounds of engines roaring.

"I know," said Hotaru. "They're here."

A van screeched into existence then and stopped before the doors opened, and six ANBU agents stepped out, all dressed in their ANBU black trench coats. The one that seemed to be the leader for this particular mission – one who seemed to be an older version of Rendoku's captain spoke up.

"You're Ragnarok?"

"We aren't," said Sumaru without a care in the world. "We just owe the captain of Ragnarok a debt. That's why we're here."

"Well, _we_ are," said Neji with an air of one that seemed almost like he is describing the weather. "We're members of Ragnarok. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Nara Shikamaru mumbled, bowing his head to them, and this earned him a slap on the head from the pink haired girl in Rendoku.

"Don't bow your head to them!" she snapped. "Don't you have any pride as an ANBU, you slacker?!"

"I'll make this short," said Uchiha Sasuke, ignoring the antics of his team. "Will you hand over the data disk in your possession and surrender yourselves to the ANBU? If you do, we can guarantee that your punishment won't be so severe. And if you can give us information on your organisation, that will also be a bonus."

The scowls on the faces of the Ragnarok members spoke volumes for their answers.

"Who the fuck do you think we are?" snarled Neji. "Do you think that we will betray the one person who had given us hope when our lives are shrouded in darkness, and who had given us a new purpose in life? I'll sooner die than betray her and Ragnarok!"

"Sorry about this, but we have a client waiting," said Tenten coldly. "Thus, we can't let you pass, and we can't let you continue chasing after us either."

Haku was silent so far, staring at the dark-skinned Akatsuki agent among the six who was staring at Haku as well, the pale-skinned Haku a contrast compared to Kisame's dark skin. Haku's hands tightened into fists as she stared at Kisame.

'_Nii-sama…'_

There was a pained look in Kisame's eyes as he looked back at her. _'Haku…'_

"Well then…" said Kankuro, closing his eyes before opening them again and sand started dancing around him. "Let the battle begin."

Haku tore her eyes away from Kisame before nodding. "Agreed," she said, before water started swirling around her – appearing out of nowhere. "As you might have guessed from our brief encounter at the Twilight Theatre Hall—" She glanced at the shocked faces of the two Akatsuki members. "—we _are_ nin-users. And this is my power." The water spurting up into the air like a fountain behind Haku created a beautiful picture – almost making Haku seemed like a water goddess of some kind as mist started to gather in the surroundings. "I can control all three states of water: solid, liquid and gaseous." She smirked at the shocked faces of the ANBU agents standing before her. "Would you like to see just what I can do?"

The eyes of all ANBU agents went wide in shock. They have a suspicion that members of Ragnarok are nin-users, but this just confirmed their suspicions. Sakura's face went pale. Now, the pink-haired girl had nothing against nin-users, but this was the first time that she'd faced powerful nin-users in battle – ones who have complete and full control over their powers. And even an idiot can tell that they're in an entirely different league compared to the ones that ANBU were usually sent after.

"You're freaks, all of you!" shrieked Sakura. "You nin-users are just abominations of nature!"

Now, that is the wrong thing to say in front of said nin-users. The temperature fell several degrees, and anyone with eyes and a brain to go with it could have told the medic of team Rendoku that this was _not _a very clever thing to say to members of Ragnarok – top S-class assassins for hire who were hired to kill dangerous criminals and people. In fact, it is an _extremely _stupid idea!

Kankuro's eyes flashed dangerously.

'_That's it! Screw what Shiki said! I'm killing this bitch!'_

While he is the quiet one among his siblings, his elder sister being the fiery-tempered one, and his younger brother being the calm tactical genius, Kankuro had a wicked temper when enraged, and the last time that this had happened, the poor fool who had enraged him had found himself deader than a dog.

Sand rose up into the air around him, reacting to his mood, and all ANBU agents took one step backwards out of sheer instinct.

"My power is over sand and earth," said Kankuro coldly. "You idiots are on my territory right now. What do you think that I can do to you?" He then smirked. "Think of all the sand surrounding you as my power, and part of my will. Unlike my brother, I can't create sand out of nothing. But this doesn't mean that I am to be trifled with! _This _is what I can do!"

The sand then danced furiously around Kankuro, reacting to his mood. His sister was a wind nin-user whilst his younger brother can do things with sand that only he can dream of. But Kankuro's ability with sand and earth isn't to be sneezed at either, as he can summon sand from underground, and will them to do whatever that he wished them to. Gaara can create and summon sand from out of nowhere and form weapons from them – an ability that Kankuro had envied several times.

"Uh oh," muttered Hotaru, looking at the extremely murderous expressions on the faces of all four Ragnarok members, and on Sumaru's face as well. While she and Sumaru aren't nin-users, they have a great respect for nin-users, especially with how Shiki had helped her and Sumaru out in the past.

Kankuro took one step forwards, and Hotaru held him back, shaking her head. "Don't!"

Even with the atmosphere this thick with malice and killing intent, the Ragnarok members, as well as Sumaru and Hotaru have had enough sense to _not_ mention any names, especially since just a name could land them all in deep shit with the ANBU.

The ANBUs were all nervously wondering what they could do to get themselves out of this mess that they are in. This mountain path that they were on isn't enough for them to fight. Most ANBUs are actually trained to fight in teams. Only a few like Itachi and Kisame were competent enough for self-combat.

Their only hope is that Ragnarok is feeling merciful enough that day to let them off without killing them.

But unfortunately, a certain pink haired girl shattered that hope instantly.

"See! That is what I mean!"

Everyone felt the temperature increased immediately, and a red glow emanating from Tenten caused everyone to turn towards her. The girl herself almost seemed like she was glowing, and her hands were clenched into fists so tightly before her that it almost seemed like it would draw blood.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. _'It's that girl from back then,' _he thought, recognising Tenten as the girl whom Ragnarok had busted out of security detail all those years ago which had marked the start of the battle between ANBU and Ragnarok. _'Fire, is it?' _Itachi looked at Tenten nervously. _'We're in some big trouble here. Fire is the wildest power to tame, and also among the most destructive.'_

"That pink haired bitch with the abnormally large forehead over there…" Tenten growled, ignoring the faint snickers from some of the ANBU members. "Are you calling me UGLY?!" She growled, sounding rather like an angry dog. "I don't really want to fight, but you've just managed to piss me off. Any of you ever heard of the saying 'don't play with fire'?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes. _'What?'_

Tenten stretched out her right hand in front of her, closing her eyes.

And is it Itachi's imagination, or had the thick atmosphere in the air grown thicker? Even Neji, Kankuro and Haku were all looking at Tenten nervously. Throughout their years together, not one of them had seen Tenten using her powers. Shiki probably had, but that girl isn't telling.

"_Karyuu." _Tenten whispered, and the silver bracelet clamped around her right wrist glowed, and the runic engravings on it glowed crimson red.

Flames then erupted around Tenten, giving off an intense aura of heat, shocking everyone present. Did her power go out of control? But it couldn't be, as the flames didn't seem to harm Tenten in the least.

Tenten then opened her eyes as flames surrounded her right wrist, and she looked rather like a rather fearsome goddess of fire sent to bring judgment down upon the earth, and to punish the wicked.

"People from the ANBU, I hope that you are prepared," said Tenten. She then narrowed her eyes. "This is payback for what you'd done to me four years ago!"

She then wrote out a character made out of flames in mid-air with her right hand, calling out something as she did so. "Ryu no en, Ni-shiki!" Tenten's eyes seemed to glow at that as she finished the final stroke in the character. "NADARE!"

A circle of fire surrounded the ANBU agents, barricading them all in. And Itachi could have sworn that he saw a faint outline of a dragon hovering behind Tenten.

Tenten glared at the ANBU with all the hatred that she could muster. "DAN-EN!"

A loud explosion sounded the air as the earth around the ANBU agents' feet started giving way, and sliding over the edge of the mountain path, sending the ANBU's van over as well. All ANBU agents present clung to whatever they could to prevent themselves from going over the edge as well.

"You call us freaks when you don't even know who your own comrades are?" growled Kankuro.

"Who our own comrades are?" echoed Sakura, trying to hold onto whatever tree that is near her at the moment.

"You didn't know?" snorted Haku. "I can feel…the aura of other nin-users. Majority of your two ANBU teams – Rendoku and Akatsuki – are nin-users as well. They are your own comrades, and you didn't know that?" She sighed. "Whatever. I have nothing against you, but we can't fail this mission as well. And relate a message to your leader: we have nothing against the ANBU. But if attacked, we'll fight back, and we'll fight with all our might."

Haku then formed a hand-sign, and water started to form in the form of a whirlpool in the space between Ragnarok and the ANBU, combining Haku's water element together with Tenten's fire element, creating a powerful attack that hit all ANBU agents head on, sending them over the ledge and going down with the 'waterfall' to wherever it ends, though Haku had made sure to create a cushion of water on the ground they're going to land on so that they wouldn't die.

They aren't here to kill anyone after all.

Kisame gave a small smile as he caught one last sight of Haku before going over the ledge as well, with Sakura screaming at the top of her lungs as she went down with the waterfall. _'You've grown strong, imouto-chan. Looks like I don't have to worry about you anymore.'_

Haku sighed as the ANBU went down over the ledge, and turned towards Sumaru and Hotaru as Tenten extinguished her flame. "Well, that settles them then," she said. "They won't be coming after us for the time being, as that is bound to knock them out for some time. Thanks for the help."

Sumaru nodded. "Give this to Shiki for me," he said, handing a slightly crumpled envelope to a surprised Haku. "It had information on the matter that she'd asked me to investigate a few years ago. And you people had best be getting on with your mission as well. That's what you're here for, aren't you?"

**XXXXXX**

Shiki frowned to herself as she read and reread the contents of the letter from Sumaru that Haku had handed to her a little while ago.

Haku, Tenten, Neji and Kankuro have all returned a little over an hour ago, stating that it's mission accomplished for them.

The handover had been done successfully, with the four teens meeting Arashi at the borders of Shirokyu, and handing the disk over to him, but not before Haku and Neji have ensured that it is indeed Arashi, and not some imposter, by asking the secret code question that only Arashi would know the answer to.

The four have then returned via a shortcut that they knew, and following that, all of Ragnarok didn't waste any time in getting the hell out of Yukiwa.

Gaara is currently steering the boathouse to Hiraiko where they would be docking for the night. Shiki is currently seated on a couch, reading the letter that Sumaru had penned to her, with the rest of her friends doing whatever they wanted.

Shiki's face then broke into a small smile as she took in the contents of Sumaru's letter.

'_We've found them. At last, we've found them. The locations of the Bijuu Shrines.'_

_

* * *

_(1) I couldn't really think of a proper power for Nagato in this story, and since his Six Paths doesn't seem really appropriate, I made him a telekinetic instead

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_Who's the client this around?"_

"_Your sensei, Haku. Shizune-san."_

"_This is what I believe, Haku. With a strong will, one can overcome even death."_

'_That lawyer… I don't know how, but he knew. He knew right from the start that Amachi is the killer. But how?'_


	15. Melody of Agony

I'm back! And sorry for the late update, people! I have a case of writer's block for this story, and I had been really busy lately. I've also changed the rating of this story to M, and just a heads-up, but there is a lemon scene in this chapter, especially since I have some readers clamouring for it.

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer:** Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Melody of Agony**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Hiraiko_

It was a warm day that afternoon in the small sleepy town of Hiraiko.

Most of the members of Ragnarok were taking the chance to laze around, doing nothing in particular. All the girls, save for their much esteemed leader, were taking the chance to do some shopping in town, whilst Kankuro was taking a quick nap.

Even Shino wasn't at his computer for once.

Instead, the bug user was walking up the stairs in the boathouse until he reached the top, and found both Neji and Gaara seated on the roof of the boathouse, both looking at nothing in particular, with the sea breeze blowing through their hair, several beer cans all around them.

Shino sighed before he approached them, and both Neji and Gaara glanced at him momentarily before turning their attention back towards the sea. The bug user sighed softly before sitting down beside them, forming a semi-circle of sorts.

"Have any of you seen Shiki?" Shino asked bluntly, and both Neji and Gaara sighed before turning around to face him.

"She's with that guy," said Gaara curtly, and Shino sighed. He _had _thought that it is something like that.

Neji sighed. "I don't understand her sometimes," he said. "Don't ask me what is even going through her head, as I don't know anymore. She knows that she shouldn't even be seeing him. We've told her that countless times, and I'm pretty sure that Shiki is well aware of this too. She is getting too involved with him."

Shino sighed. "Well, it _is _her," he said. "She knows what she is doing."

Neji and Gaara sighed as one.

**XXXXXX**

_Bookstore  
Leaf City_

_Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy, and will not let belief take hold of him. Touching this dreaded sight, twice seen of us. Therefore, I have entreated him along with us to watch the minutes of this night. That is again this apparition come. He may approve our eyes and speak to it—_

Shiki huffed in annoyance as her concentration into the novel Hamlet was broken as she felt hot breath breathing onto the back of her neck, and knew instantly who the person was.

Uchiha Itachi's amused voice then spoke with much amusement. "I'll be your Romeo if you'll be my Juliet." He said with a mock bow, making his voice low and drawling, sounding rather like one of those old English characters from William Shakespeare's works.

Shiki raised an incredulous brow before she closed the novel that she was reading with a light clap, turning around to face her boyfriend, showing him the title of the novel that she had been reading. "It's Hamlet, you idiot."

Itachi chuckled as Shiki picked up a few of the books that she had picked out earlier, along with the one that she had been reading, before heading towards the cashier to pay for her purchases. "What are you doing in Leaf City anyway?" he asked curiously as the two walked out of the bookstore, with a bell tinkling somewhere in the store as they did so. "I rarely see you head over to Leaf City."

Shiki sighed. "Even _I_ need a break sometimes, you know?" she said sarcastically. "I just thought that I would like a break from work, and some of my friends agreed, as we've all been working pretty hard lately as bounty hunters. I wanted to get some new books, and since the bookstore in Leaf City has one of the largest book collections out here, I headed for Leaf City. Visiting you isn't so bad too."

That wasn't entirely a lie, and it wasn't the complete truth as well.

All of Ragnarok do indeed work as bounty hunters or informants of some sort as side-jobs to bring in side cash, as even though their jobs as Ragnarok do indeed bring some cash in, they were all pretty careful, never doing jobs as Ragnarok for more than twice in the same month in order to elude capture. And ANBU wonder how Ragnarok had been eluding capture for so long…

Itachi sighed, and smiled. _'It doesn't matter about the 'Twila' matter,' _he thought. _'I can't be sure if it __**is **__her. But for both our sakes, I hope that it isn't her. All that matters is that she is here now.'_

Shiki glanced at her watch before sighing and turning towards Itachi. "Well, it has been nice and all, but I have to go now," she said. "I'm meeting my friends at Hiraiko. We have to get ready for our next job soon." She sighed. "And it is going to be a troublesome one."

Shiki didn't betray the emotions on her face as she thought about everything that had happened two days ago which had led to them taking on their next 'troublesome' mission…

**

* * *

**_Flashback:_

_It was raining heavily, and the boathouse was currently bobbing about on the heavy waves of the sea as the wind was howling and blowing extremely heavily, that Tenten and Neji have to anchor the boathouse to the sea harbour of Hiraiko to prevent it from floating out to who-knows-where._

_The doors and windows were all latched heavily, and the pitter-patter of the rain sounded heavily on their windows, and even the roof. No one in the right sense of mind would go out in this crazy weather, as the winds seemed to be strong enough to even uproot trees._

_The members of Ragnarok were all lazing around, doing what they usually do. _

_Shino was typing away on his laptop as usual with one hand, the other hand with the elbow resting on the table, his cheek resting on the palm, looking extremely bored. Neji and Gaara were both having a game of shougi with Hinata and Tenten both watching with interest._

_Currently, both Neji and Gaara's shougi scores stands at 26-19, with Gaara in the lead._

_Temari and Yugito were both talking about something which none of the others understood and wanted to know, whilst Haku was seemingly reading a book, yet was quite distracted. Kankuro was absorbed in a manga whilst curled up on one side of the couch with Haku on the other side. Shiki was settled on the windowsill of the boathouse, playing with the hoop of a large key-ring, opening and closing, opening and closing in a steady rhythm, yet was actually thinking deeply about something._

_A sudden loud rumble of thunder startled all of the members present, save for Shiki, Neji, Shino and Gaara, and every single person save for those mentioned four jumped about a foot in the air, before a bright flash of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the room that they were all in._

_Yugito sighed, looking out of the window. "Lightning…" she muttered. "It's just like that day…"_

_Temari smiled a small smile. She knew what that day was. Stormy nights always managed to put Yugito in a bad mood._

_Kankuro whistled, looking out of the window as he closed his manga. "This has to be the worst downpour that we've ever gotten in Japan," he said, getting onto his knees on the couch that he was on, and looking out of the window. "It's even strong enough to uproot trees."_

"_Somehow, weather like this always seemed to represent a bad omen for us," said Haku, looking up from her book. "Either another revenge request, or someone we knew had gotten into trouble, or—"_

_There was a beep from Shino's computer just then, interrupting Haku, and everyone present turned their heads towards Shino. All but Shiki who still remained seated on the windowsill, opening and closing the hoop of a large key-ring that she had with her._

"_A client?" questioned Gaara, turning towards Shino, and the insect user nodded, clicking on the 'You've got one new message' window on the computer, and reading the mail transmitted to their email via the website which they used to accept requests._

"_Please don't tell me that it's another revenge request," groaned Temari._

_Really, doing revenge requests every once in a while is fine and all, but doing it once too often is tiring as well._

"_No," said Shino with a quick shake of his head. "It's someone we know. She wants to hire our services."_

"_Who's the client this time around?" asked Haku with a frown, and Shino glanced at the others._

"_Your sensei, Haku," answered Shino grimly, closing his laptop and turning to look at said girl. "Shizune-san."_

**

* * *

**_The bell tinkled somewhere in the cafe of Cat's Eye as the door was pushed opened, and Iruka looked up only to see two sopping wet teens wearing similar-looking dark raincoats which were currently dripping rainwater onto the ground. _

_Even with the raincoats and boots that they were both wearing because of the horrible weather outside, both teens still managed to get themselves soaked to the skin as if they have just jumped into the swimming pool._

_Shiki grumbled something about rainstorms beneath her breath as she squeezed rainwater out of her hair, whilst Gaara ran his fingers through his own extremely wet hair with displeasure, squeezing the rainwater out of his hair. Iruka then flung two towels towards the two teens, and ordered them to dry themselves, muttering something about dripping rainwater all over his newly cleaned floor._

"_I'm surprised that you two came all the way out there, despite having your boathouse parked at the dorks," muttered Iruka as he received the two extremely damp towels once both teens were done towelling their hair, and stripped out of their raincoats before draping it over the back of the chairs nearest the door. "No one would be caught dead out in this weather, as it is even strong enough to uproot trees. I'm surprised that it hasn't yet."_

_Gaara grunted. "We have a client to meet," he grumbled, scowling fiercely as he felt the top of his head, and found that his usually dark red hair which was matted down, was now sticking comically in every angle. "Hiraiko is the town closest to us at present, and we'll rather not risk travelling out to another town via boat in this crazy weather. We'll likely get into an accident before arrival."_

"_True," said Iruka with a nod, pleased that the group of teens were at least sensible enough to know the dangers of travelling via boat in a storm. "Your client's over there." He pointed towards a corner booth with his thumb. "Shizune has been there for a few hours now. She's probably waiting for you. I'll close up now so that you can have some privacy. Though I seriously doubt that anyone would be walking in now."_

"_Thanks, Iruka," said Shiki with a nod, before she and Gaara both walked towards the booth where Iruka had gestured towards._

_Shizune was sitting by the window, dressed in a dark blue kimono, staring out of the window with an unhappy expression on her face, resting her chin on the upturned palm of her right hand. She turned around when she heard Gaara and Shiki approaching her, and smiled a small smile at them, turning towards her cup of coffee which had turned cold._

"_It's been awhile," said Shizune._

_Shiki nodded before settling down in the seat opposite Shizune, with Gaara taking the seat beside her. "Haku can't come," she said. "Hinata needed her help with some medical cream that she had been developing. She told me to tell you hello though."_

_Shizune nodded._

"_What did you call us out here for?" asked Gaara bluntly. "And judging by the email that you've sent, it seems to be quite urgent, as you can't wait for tomorrow, and choose to meet us in this terrible weather."_

_Shizune sighed. "I'll get straight to the point then," she said, looking at both Gaara and Shiki in the eye. "It's about Shiranui Genma, my fiancé."_

_Shiki stiffened. "Genma-san?" she echoed, surprise etched on her face. "What is wrong with him? I've heard that both of you will be getting married soon from Hayate-san and Yugao-san. I even remembered how angry you were when you had found out that you and Genma-san got put into one of Jiraiya's books. What's wrong with Genma-san?"_

"_He's missing," said Shizune, smiling a small smile at the memory of how she had beat Shiki's godfather up a few years ago when she had first started dating Genma, after she had found out that Jiraiya had put Genma and herself in one of his perverted books._

_Gaara frowned. "Missing?" he echoed._

"_Yeah," said Shizune with a nod. "It all happened six months ago. It was a week before our wedding day, and everyone was so excited. Yugao was to be my bridesmaid, and Hayate-kun was Genma's best man. It was to be a pretty huge affair, and the wedding was to be held at the church. All the invitations had been given out, and all preparations done. But then…"_

"_Then?"_

"_He went missing," said Shizune, tears leaking out from her eyes. "Hayate-kun gave me a call four days before the wedding, asking me if I knew where Genma was, as both of them were supposed to go for a bachelors' night out with the other guys, and they're supposed to go and look at some flowers for the wedding decorations, but he never turned up. We went searching everywhere for him, and we couldn't find him. I know Genma; he won't just abandon me like this, and he would have at least told Hayate if he's planning on going somewhere. With him missing, the wedding was cancelled, and I had been searching for him ever since. Yugao and Hayate-kun have both been helping me, but there isn't so much as a clue. That's why…"_

"_That's why you came to us," said Shiki bluntly, and Shizune nodded. She sighed. "Do you know what had triggered his disappearance? Has he been acting odd for some time? Anything at all?"_

"_Not that I can recall," said Shizune, shaking her head. "And he hasn't been facing problems with his work at all. Asuma told me that he's a good police officer – always having a smile for everyone, and always helping with whatever that he can. Even his colleagues at the station have been trying to find him, and Kurenai had contacted every social service office in Japan to keep a lookout for Genma as well."_

"_Come on, Shizune-san, think!" said Gaara urgently. "There must be something! He wouldn't have just vanished like this!"_

_Shizune frowned before her eyes widened in realisation._

"_Have you thought of something?" asked Shiki quickly, and Shizune nodded._

"_It was on one of his cases with Asuma a few months ago," said Shizune with a frown. "After Orochimaru's death, all of that snake's businesses have been falling apart, and those that hadn't were taken over by some of those people in Roots Inc. Asuma and Genma have been following a lead on one of Orochimaru's activities – those that have to do with a children's orphanage-cum-hospice."_

"_Hospice?" blinked Gaara._

_Shiki sighed. "Those children were donors," she answered. "It came up in the news a few years ago, I believe. Genma-san told me about it. Children without any family or who were abandoned by their parents were brought to that orphanage and were made donors. Their organs were then taken out of them and sold for a fair price on the black market."_

_Gaara's eyes widened. "That's horrible!"_

_Shizune nodded, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. "I was the medic and the forensic specialist that examined one of the children's bodies that Genma and Asuma's teams have found. Apparently, the leader of that facility was a doctor that went by the name of Amachi."_

_Both Gaara and Shiki's eyes widened a slight fraction at that name._

"_On the surface, he's a much renowned and respected doctor, having held several Masters' and Bachelors' degrees in medical science, research, organ transplantation and forensic science, but in actual fact, he's nothing more than a murderer! Genma had been following a lead in a town where several people have been going missing, and traced them back to Amachi. Genma told me two days before he had disappeared that Amachi is getting desperate."_

"_Sounds like he may be involved with Genma-san's disappearance," said Gaara thoughtfully, and Shiki nodded. "Where was Amachi last seen, Shizune-san?"_

"_I think it's in Narika," answered Shizune. "Asuma was saying something about that when we were having lunch. Apparently, he was last seen there."_

_Shiki nodded. "That's all the information that we need," she said. "If Genma-san is still alive, he's most likely there."_

"'_If he's still alive'?" echoed Shizune._

_Shiki sighed. "Shizune-san, you don't think that if Amachi is indeed responsible for Genma-san's disappearance, he will just kidnap him, do you? Let's put it this way: if Genma-san is still alive, he's most probably one of Amachi's 'donors'."_

_Shizune went pale._

"_Shiki…you have to save him!" she nearly pleaded._

_Shiki was silent for a moment before she spoke. "Don't worry, we'll get him back," she said. "Amachi has to learn what happens to people who mess with our friends!"_

_Flashback Ends:_

**

* * *

**That had been nearly two days ago, and Shino had been hard at work locating Amachi's whereabouts since then. He had discovered his whereabouts about a day ago, and Shiki had instructed for her friends to take a day off before setting off on this mission, especially since she knew perfectly well that they might end up having to face off against Amachi and his goons.

Itachi nodded slowly, knowing full well the missions that a bounty hunter has to take, and the risks and dangers that had came with it. "I'll send you back to Hiraiko," he said, approaching his motorbike which was parked by the side of the road, tossing Shiki a helmet which she caught with no problem. "I do not have to return to headquarters for awhile. And I have some business to attend to in Hiraiko."

Shiki nodded before getting onto the bike behind Itachi, and with a loud roar, Itachi veered off.

**XXXXXX**

_Five Miles West of Docks  
Hiraiko_

Itachi brought his motorcycle to a stop about five miles west of the harbour of the small sleepy town of Hiraiko. It is pretty deserted in this part of Hiraiko, and the people of the town usually wouldn't pass through here.

"Thanks for the ride," said Shiki, getting off the bike, and handing the helmet back to Itachi.

Itachi nodded as he placed the helmet into the compartment on the back of his bike. For a moment, he wonders if Shiki even got a place that she can call her home. And now that he actually thinks about it, he seriously doesn't know anything about Shiki at all. Not where she lives, who her friends are, who her parents are.

Nothing at all.

"I'll come and see you again," said Itachi.

Shiki was silent for several moments. She remembered what Gaara had said to her months ago.

_Both our paths oppose each other. Break it off with him before you fall into it even further and before both of you get hurt._

Shiki knew that fully well. But she simply can't bring herself to break it off with Itachi. Whenever she thinks about not seeing him ever again, or even seeing him with another girl, it hurts like no other.

But…

"We'll see," said Shiki at last, meeting Itachi's curious eyes. "Ja ne." She gave him a slight wave and turned around to leave.

But before she could take more than two steps, she felt herself being yanked back and spun around. Shiki let out a gasp, and felt Itachi clamp his lips down onto hers, sliding his tongue into her mouth, kissing her passionately.

Shiki moaned into Itachi's mouth as she snaked her arms up his body and around his neck, pressing her body closer to him, and she could even feel all his muscles that he had attained with all that ANBU training that he had gone though, even through the fabric of the clothes separating them from each other. One hand fisted her fingers into his hair as Itachi murmured something against her lips.

Shiki soon felt Itachi's powerful hands snaking down her sides before he pulled her closer to his body, bringing their hips into close intimate contact, as he began planting frantic kisses down her neck. Cerulean blue eyes fluttered close as the pleasure of his touch and kisses soon rendered her helpless.

Before too long, Shiki soon felt Itachi's hands roaming up her body before snaking beneath her shirt, his palms pressing against the cool skin of her body, and sliding up it slowly before one hand rested against the fabric of her bra, sliding gently into it, his cool fingers pressing against her breast.

Shiki moaned into Itachi's shoulder as his kisses and touches were soon rendering her lightheaded. Itachi smirked to himself in satisfaction as he sucked on the tender skin of Shiki's throat as he slid one hand out of her shirt, and snaking it upwards her body before fingering the top button of her blouse, releasing the first button, showing a decent amount of cleavage.

Before he could unbutton the second button however, Shiki's hand stopped him.

"What's wrong?"

"Not right now." Shiki muttered into his shoulder, moaning a little as Itachi's hand within her bra cupped her breast, squeezing it gently. "Itachi…stop tempting me." She groaned. "As much as I'm enjoying this and would love to continue, you know that I can't. I have a job to finish."

Itachi sighed before stepping away from Shiki, his eyes roaming to her cleavage, and he almost sighed in disappointment as Shiki buttoned up her blouse, before making herself look presentable.

"Fine," he said with a sigh. "I _do _have to return to headquarters soon anyway. We have a meeting. But I'm not going to go easy on you after that."

Shiki smiled at him. "We'll see about that," she said before giving him a light wave, and turning to leave.

Itachi watched her leave before he veered his motorbike in action, and headed into the town of Hiraiko into another direction. He doesn't want Shiki to know what 'business' that he has in the town after all.

Soon, within moments, Itachi soon found himself in the heart of town, and stopped his motorbike outside a two-storey apartment where a young man wearing a business suit was waiting for him with a manila folder in his hand.

The man's face brightened up when he caught sight of Itachi. "Ah! Uchiha-san! You're here," he said as Itachi got off his motorbike and headed towards the man. "The movers have just finished furnishing your apartment. Here are the keys." He smiled as he dropped a bunch of keys into Itachi's outstretched palm. "It is ready for you to move in anytime."

Itachi sighed and nodded. "Thank you, Takowaki-san," he said as the man gave him a bow before leaving.

Itachi then sighed before heading towards the front door and unlocking it with the keys that he had, before entering the apartment. He had bought this place nearly four months ago, and had it fully furnished, with the walls being painted a light blue colour, with light purple carpets. Baby blue curtains with the patterns of silver crescent moons on it adorned the Victorian-style windows of the apartment.

Itachi smiled as he eyed the apartment. The pay of an ANBU is already pretty high, as they hold the most dangerous jobs in all of Japan. But as an ANBU captain of one of the ANBU's elite teams, Itachi got double the pay that a regular ANBU receive. Hence why he could easily afford this apartment which can easily burn a hole in any regular worker's pocket.

Itachi then smiled wistfully as he took a velvet black box out of his pocket and opened it only to see a pair of clasped-on silver bracelets, one engraved with his name, and the other engraved with Shiki's name.

He is going to ask Shiki to marry him.

**XXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters  
Leaf City_

"Nothing?" said Tsunade in an extremely dangerous voice, and all ANBU members present gulped. They knew that they were treading on very thin ice now.

"Not a thing," said Itachi bravely, and for the hundredth time, every single ANBU member marvelled at the fact that Itachi dared to stand up to the ANBU commander when she's pissed. "No names were mentioned during the exchange, and even _we_ can't identify someone with just a face, you know? The two teens who aren't Ragnarok members with them…I'll bet half my life that they are gang members, and you know the number of gang members that we've got in Japan."

Nearly everyone in the ANBU groaned.

"Nearly half of Japan's teen population," mumbled Kisame, his face downwards on the table. He then looked up. "As it is, we're lucky that we got away with nothing but mere scrapes and bruises when Ragnarok had sent us over the cliff. But I think that they meant to as well."

Sasuke snorted. "They're Ragnarok members," he said. "They're no killers. Their targets are criminals, or people who had escaped the hands of justice itself. I don't think that they will kill any ANBU…_unless_ we've done something to piss them off."

Shikamaru groaned out a 'how troublesome' under his breath and looked at all the ANBUs present, glancing at the contents of the file currently in front of every ANBU member. "Look, let's face the facts that we currently knew about Ragnarok," he said. "I've gotten the report about that mission from both Itachi and Sasuke. Apparently, our suspicions are proven right: the Ragnarok members present during that mission were nin-users, and we can also safely assume that nearly all Ragnarok members were nin-users as well."

"Very powerful ones, in fact," added Sasuke. "I thought that those nin-users that we have in Rendoku are pretty powerful ones, but Ragnarok simply out-classed us. Probably, the only nin-users in ANBU able to match up to their powers are Akatsuki."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "They're _that _powerful?" she asked in disbelief.

Rendoku and Akatsuki probably consisted of the most powerful ANBU agents that she have, and here Sasuke was saying that only Akatsuki could defeat them?

Sasuke sighed and nodded. "I hate to admit it, but yes, I honestly think that way," he said. "If Haruno—" His eyes flashed with anger, glaring at the pink-haired girl who 'meeped' and looked away from the captain of Rendoku, "—didn't see fit to insult Ragnarok, we wouldn't even be injured in the first place! Then again, they could have killed us and they didn't." Sasuke smirked, resting his chin on his hand. "Strange person, that Twila character. She's a criminal, yet at the same time, she isn't. She's a killer, yet at the same time, she had good reason to. I can't figure her or Ragnarok out."

Tsunade sighed. "Alright. Onto the next matter," she said. "As you know, with Orochimaru's death, many of his businesses in Japan have either fallen into Ne's hands, or fallen apart, or had been taken over by one of the leaders in his businesses. We have managed to nail most of those leaders, and had taken them into custody, but there are still several out there. We've gotten a tip-off recently that an organ factory belonging to Orochimaru had been located. Nothing but rumours has been confirmed, thus, we'll be investigating first before moving in."

Kiba frowned. "Who's the leader of that factory?"

"A doctor named Amachi," answered Konan.

**XXXXXX**

_Abandoned Facility  
Narika_

"Are those the new donors?" questioned Amachi without looking up from the clipboard that he's reading.

"Yes sir," said the nurse.

"Just put them in the room," said Amachi before walking out of the room to who-knows-where.

The moment that the door swung shut behind him, the 'nurse' smirked, snapping her fingers, and it was like her skin was melting before Nii Yugito stood there. The coverings covering the 'bodies' of the donors were thrown off before Gaara and Neji got down from the bed where they were lying on, before the rest of the Ragnarok's members climbed out from beneath the bed trolley.

Shiki nodded. "Good work, guys," she said. "Now, let's find Genma-san. Shino, can you use your friends?"

Shino nodded before several butterflies flew in from the opened window and flew all around the room that they were currently in, trying to identity Genma among the several hundred bodies in this room. Neji, meanwhile, had sat in front of the computer in a corner and slotted in an empty data disk that he had, before his hands flew over the keyboard, saving the data into the data disk before popping it out again.

He then turned towards Shiki with the data disk that he had in his hand. "The data's in here," he said. "This should be more than enough for the ANBU to nail Amachi, even if we'll be destroying the data and the computers later on. But why are you going to hand Amachi over to the ANBU?"

Shiki sighed. "I have my reasons," she said. "Shino? Found him?"

"Yeah," said Shino as a butterfly perched on his finger. "He's not in this room. He's in another one."

Shiki narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Lead the way."

**

* * *

**"He's not dead, is he?" questioned Kankuro fearfully as Haku and Hinata examined the sleeping Genma who was currently hooked up to all kinds of machines imaginable in the room that they were in.

"No, he's alive," said Haku with a sigh of relief. "I'll only know what organs were missing after a thorough examination once we get back. I don't have the proper medical equipment for it right now."

"Unfortunately…" said a voice, and all Ragnarok members turned sharply to see Amachi in a doctor's coat standing at the door, with roughly six men built like mountains with dark sunglasses in dark suits standing at the doorway. "None of you will be leaving here alive."

Shiki narrowed her eyes dangerously before turning towards the members of Ragnarok. "Temari, Kankuro, Hinata, Neji and Tenten…get out of here with Genma-san. We'll handle them."

Those mentioned nodded before Neji and Kankuro each placed one of Genma's arms around their shoulders, and all five disappeared. The remaining Ragnarok members – Shiki, Shino, Haku, Gaara and Yugito turned their attention back to Amachi and his guards.

"Kill them!" snarled Amachi. "But don't harm any of their organs. They looked to be fine able-bodied young teens. Their organs will fetch a good price on the black market."

Yugito narrowed her eyes as the six guards dashed towards them before she snapped her fingers once and black portals appeared out of nowhere, swallowing them up instantly before they reappeared again, with grievous injuries and cuts on their bodies.

"You're the last one left now," said Shiki, walking slowly towards a terrified Amachi. "This is payback for all that you've done to the people whom you took away from their homes and families, and what you've done to us."

"W-What?" stuttered Amachi. "I never did anything to you at all!"

"I don't think that you will remember us now," said Shiki. "It was so long ago now. But it's all over. I'm going to make you pay for what you did."

Amachi growled before taking out a hidden dagger and taking a swipe at Shiki who leapt out of the way, and threw the dagger towards Shino's direction. The dagger hit Shino head-on, but a short while later, 'Shino' dispersed in a cloud of gleaming butterflies and moths, startling Amachi as those butterflies and moths surrounded him.

Sand grabbed Amachi and threw him to the wall before a hail of well-placed ice senbon needles nailed him to the wall, instantly freezing his limbs into ice and rendering him paralyzed, knocking him out.

Shiki then turned towards Shino. "Shino. The disk?"

Shino took out the disk and handed it to Shiki who took it and placed it on the table in the room before turning towards her friends. "Have the computers been destroyed?"

Gaara nodded. "Tenten and Neji have both seen to that," he said. "All the data have been erased as well."

Shino twitched as a butterfly landed on his finger and turned towards Shiki. "We'd best get out of here," he said. "ANBU is on their way."

Shiki nodded before they disappeared just as the sound of sirens sounded outside the abandoned facility which was the organ factory.

Mission objective, achieved.

**

* * *

**The next stop for Ragnarok is a private clinic located in one of the smaller towns in Japan, which is owned by one of Shiki's many contacts.

On the surface, it is a respectable clinic, and the doctor is an extremely skilled one, able to perform most operations and surgeries with ease that many veteran doctors struggled with. But within the underworld, the members of the underworld knew that the doctor of that clinic would tend to their injuries without asking any awkward questions – injuries which couldn't be seen at a hospital.

Shizune had been contacted whilst Ragnarok were getting the hell out of Narika with Genma, and the dark haired medic had immediately rushed to the clinic which doctor is also coincidentally a friend of hers from her high school days, where the doctor, Haku and Hinata were all examining the unconscious Genma.

"Well, he's missing a liver and half a kidney. But other than that, he seems to be alright," said Nishimura Rin calmly, the doctor of the clinic, turning towards Shizune as she scribbled into her clipboard. "You can survive without a liver and a kidney, so Genma should be alright for the time being. I have some contacts with doctors who can do legal organ transplantations. I'll pull some strings for Genma so that no awkward questions arouse. You might have to wait for some time though, Shizune."

Shizune nodded with tears brimming her eyes as she turned towards Genma who is lying unconscious on the hospital bed. "Thank you."

"Shizune-san, don't worry about the fee," said Shiki, and Shizune turned towards her. "This is payment enough."

"Huh?"

Shiki's eyes glowed red for a brief moment before fading back to its normal cerulean blue, and a group of gleaming butterflies then covered Shizune's vision.

Neji caught Shizune before she fell out of her chair, and positioned her in a way so that Shizune is lying with her head by Genma's bedside.

Shiki sighed. "A little after-service," she said, before turning towards Rin. "Thanks for the help. Obviously, we couldn't bring him to the hospital, or even a certified clinic."

Rin nodded. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I'll get in contact with several of my doctor friends soon to see if I can do anything to help Genma."

Shiki nodded with a sigh. "Thank you," she said. "I've given the disk to Obito-san. Hopefully, he can manage to get Amachi locked away for eternity. Someone like that man shouldn't even be allowed to live."

Rin smiled. "Well, Obito _is _one of the best lawyers in the country. And with the evidences that Kakashi had managed to attain, Amachi has no hope to escape from the hands of the law like last time."

"Shiki." Shiki turned towards the speaker who had turned out to be Temari. "Back then, you said that Amachi did something to you. What do you mean by that?"

Shiki was silent for several moments, glaring at the floor.

'_Cold…so cold…'_

"_Increase the dosage by seventy-five percent."_

_Lights flashing. Alarms were going off._

"_Experiment number eighty-six had broken out!"_

"…_we've dreamt of creating the world's most powerful nin-user…and we've succeeded."_

"…_die."_

_There was a loud explosion._

"Shiki?" Hinata voiced out in concern as Shiki had been silent for the past ten minutes without answering Temari's question.

Shiki closed her eyes before opening them again. "Sometimes, some truths…are better off left unknown." She sighed. "Come on, let's go. Our work here is done."

The members of Ragnarok nodded, before one by one, they walked towards the exit of the clinic, leaving Haku and Shiki behind.

"Haku? You coming?"

"Some truths…are better off left unknown, huh?" Haku mused, glancing at her clenched fist. "Is it really better off though?" She glanced at Shiki. "Memories… Can they even be brought back?"

Shiki stared at Haku for a long while before speaking. "This is what I believe, Haku," she said. "With a strong will, one can even overcome death."

Haku managed a small smile. "I don't know about that."

**XXXXXX**

_High Court  
Leaf City_

Uchiha Itachi walked out of the High Court where Amachi's trial had just ended, in deep thought. As the ANBU had been involved in Amachi's capture, Tsunade had sent Itachi as a representative to see how the trial had gone.

Even Itachi had been surprised at the ferocity of the prosecutor, Uchiha Obito.

That man had been like a third uncle of his twice removed, and had left for the capital soon after finishing college, hence the reason why neither Itachi or Sasuke had heard of him, and why he had managed to escape the massacre of the last war.

Obito had been extremely ferocious during that trial, and shot down every single one of the defence lawyer's feeble attempts to protect Amachi. He had also produced decisive evidence that had the instant effect to make the judge declare his sentence then and there.

And the evidence that Obito had produced isn't something that Itachi had seen before. It had already gone through the usual procedure of going through the law offices, and that means that Obito must already have that piece of evidence in his possession for quite some time.

'_I don't know how, but he knew,' _thought Itachi with a frown. _'He firmly believed in Amachi's guilt right from the start in a way that isn't just as his duty of a prosecutor. And how did he get his hands on that piece of evidence that had proven Amachi's guilt which none of us at the ANBU had seen before? Who gave it to him?'_

**XXXXXX**

_Coffeehouse, High Court  
Leaf City_

"Thank you, Obito," said Shiki as she sat across him in the booth of the coffeehouse of the high court that they were in.

She had stayed hidden in a part of the bystanders' benches earlier as she watched the trial, not allowing Itachi to catch sight of her, or she will have to answer several difficult to answer questions. And even Shiki was surprised at Obito's unnatural ferocity earlier with the trial. And then again, it probably isn't too difficult to understand, as Genma _had _been one of his best friends ever since his middle high school days.

When Shiki had caught wind that Hatake Kakashi, Nishimura Rin and Uchiha Obito were all involved in this particular case, she knew that there is nothing more to worry about. The three had been one of the best students when they were all studying criminal affairs and law in college before pursuing their desired paths during their senior year. She would be surprised if Amachi wasn't convicted.

The judge wasn't impressed with Amachi's reason for his crimes, and had sentenced him to death by electrical chair, effective immediately. The one form of execution in Japan that is a sure death for Amachi.

"No problem," said Obito with a nod. "I should be thanking you instead for the evidence that you've supplied me and Kakashi with. Amachi wouldn't have been convicted without that piece of evidence otherwise. Rin is now working on finding a suitable donor for Genma. It shouldn't be long before he's on the mend, especially since Rin had countless contacts all over the world. And once Genma is alright, he and Shizune can get married at last."

"Regardless, still…thank you very much," said Shiki, bowing her head to him. "I know that there are other victims aside from us that Amachi had used. This is the reason why I wanted him handed over to the law to receive the punishment that he deserves from the members of the public. This isn't a matter for Ragnarok alone. We carry out the vengeance of a sole entity, not for many others. Therefore, I'll make sure that I know Amachi will get his deserved punishment with the only way that I knew how."

Obito nodded. "I wanted to see him dead as well, not to mention you," he said. "Regardless, it's over at last. He will be dead before dawn tomorrow." He sighed. "Really. Orochimaru is dead, but he left a whole lot of shit for us to clear up."

Shiki chuckled. "I'll come and visit you guys soon," she said. "It's best for me not to be here for long."

Obito nodded. "See you."

**XXXXXX**

_Apartment  
Hiraiko_

"Itachi… What did you bring me here for anyway?" asked an irritated Shiki as she let Itachi led her into this two storey apartment in the town of Hiraiko.

It was near sunset, and several of the members of Ragnarok have disappeared, having some fun in some random town like how they always did after every job. They were actually currently docked in Narika, especially since Haku had wanted to see Isaribi again. Shiki was about to follow when she had received a message from Itachi, asking to meet her in Hiraiko.

It had been nearly a week ever since they've busted the organ factory, and had seen to Amachi's death, and Shiki knew that Itachi is bound to be busy, as it had Ragnarok written all over that case. It made Shiki sad to think about it – that there is no way that she can let Itachi know about her connection with Ragnarok.

In the end, Ragnarok and ANBU are enemies.

"What do you think of this apartment?" asked Itachi, turning towards Shiki.

Shiki raised an eyebrow. "What I think of it?" she echoed. "Does it really matter what I think of it, Itachi? Whose place is this?"

Itachi smirked at her. "Mine," he answered, and Shiki turned towards him with surprise etched on her features. "I bought this place awhile back. It was in this town where we had first met after all." He paused. "Shiki, I had never been good with words, but I want you to listen to me for a few moments. You know that the ANBU are currently in the middle of a fight of some sort with Ragnarok. Once it all ends, I want you to marry me."

Shiki was taken aback by this.

Of all the things that could have happened when Itachi had asked to meet her, she definitely wasn't expecting _this!_

Marry him?

Sure, she truly does love Itachi, especially since he is the first person who had truly understood her. Not even Neji, Gaara and Shino came close. But she is Ragnarok's captain, not that Itachi knew it, and he is the captain of ANBU's best team.

There is no way for them to be together unless Shiki leaves Ragnarok which she is never going to do, not in a million years.

"Isn't this a little too sudden?" Shiki asked at last, meeting Itachi's eyes. "Itachi, I know how we both feel about each other, but marriage? Isn't that a little too soon? Besides, I…can't…"

"Why?" Itachi wanted to know. "It's not like we have to get married right away. I just wanted you to wait for me."

"Whether it is right away or not, I still can't."

"Why not? Is there someone else?"

"No."

"Then why?" Itachi almost demanded, moving closer to Shiki, and the redhead backed away slowly. "At least tell me the reason why! Tell me, Shiki… Let me understand! Tell me the reason. The reason behind it!"

"Itachi, don't force me to, please." Shiki nearly pleaded, backing away slowly until she felt her back hit a wall. Itachi continued moving closer to her until she could almost feel his breath on her face, as the Uchiha placed one hand by her head, trapping her. "I have my own reasons. I just…can't tell you right now. If I let you know my reasons now…it will change everything that you had ever worked for. It will also shatter your views of the world."

Itachi was confused. What did she mean by that?

"I'll understand if you can't at least let me know now," he murmured. "But at least promise me…that you won't ever run away from me again like last time." Shiki knew that he is referring to the time at the island. "And promise me that when the time comes, you will let me know everything. I know that you aren't telling me everything about yourself, and I respect that. But at least…"

"I know." Shiki whispered, watching Itachi leaned forwards slightly until their lips are barely an inch away from each other. "But if even possible, I really don't want you to know."

Itachi closed the distance between both their lips before wrapping his arms around her tightly, kissing her passionately, before his kisses became more demanding and forceful, pushing Shiki back up against the wall as he clamped his lips down onto hers, and practically devoured her.

Shiki's eyes slid shut before beginning to return Itachi's gestures, her arms sliding up his body and around his neck, pushing herself up slightly to make up for their differences in height. Itachi's tongue lapped at her lower lip, demanding entrance which Shiki obliged, before his tongue soon began exploring her mouth.

Sure, they have kissed before, but nothing like this.

Despite Shiki knowing that they shouldn't even be doing this in the first place, she just can't bring herself to stop it. Itachi will be the only person that she'll be with. Despite knowing that a forbidden relationship like theirs should never even have begun in the first place, she simply doesn't want to stop it.

Shiki is tired.

Is love really that wrong?

Shiki let out a low moan as Itachi's kisses became much more forceful and demanding, as both their tongues were entangled into a dance, and Itachi's hold on her became much more forceful. He soon drew back and began planting frantic kisses down her throat, sucking on the tender skin. Shiki leant her head on Itachi's shoulder as she tilted her head in a manner that allow Itachi more manoeuvrability to her throat, enjoying his touches.

Itachi's hands soon began wandering up her body and beneath her jacket and shirt where he began to fondle her breasts through the fabric of her bra, never letting up his kisses on Shiki's neck as he began to nip on the tender skin of the hollow of her neck.

The Uchiha soon began to get a little bolder as he slipped one hand beneath the fabric of her bra where he began caressing her left breast, with his thumb going in small circles around her nipple. The low moan and gasp from Shiki made Itachi smirk, and the redhead fisted the fingers of both hands into his hair, undoing his hair-tie as she did so.

"Itachi…"

Shiki soon began to feel severely light-headed, as if there is a kind of strange magic behind Itachi's touches, and she almost melted into him. She probably wouldn't even be able to remain standing if Itachi hadn't been there to hold her.

Itachi murmured something against her throat before pressing his nose into her hair, smelling the smell of the floral shampoo that she uses to wash her hair. He slid his hand out of her bra and down her body, stopping at her hips.

"You want more?" Itachi murmured against her throat, and he felt Shiki gave a small nod of her head.

"Yeah."

Itachi smirked against the tender skin of Shiki's throat before his powerful hands began going to the buckle of the belt around Shiki's pants, and began fumbling with it, releasing the buckle of the belt. He was about to move to her pants before he paused and began fumbling with his own pants before letting it drop down to the floor, followed by his boxers. Itachi then moved towards the buckle of Shiki's pants and began fumbling with it, as he brought Shiki's body closer to him, finally undoing the buckle and zipper, and letting it drop down to the floor.

"Itachi…"

Itachi smirked as he heard Shiki's breathless moan, yet at the same time, she is also driving him crazy.

He knew what she wanted.

**{Lemon scene starts here. Don't read if you don't want to! I will not be held responsible for any scarring left behind!}**

Itachi swept Shiki off her feet and carried her up the stairs to where the bedrooms are, where he laid her down onto the king-sized bed lined with velvet black sheets. He kissed her tenderly on the lips before pulling his shirt over his head, and began pulling the zipper of Shiki's jacket down, and pulling the jacket off of her body.

She was wearing a white blouse with folded-up sleeves which ended at her elbows beneath that jacket, and Itachi could faintly see the outline of the bra that she wore beneath it which had the instant effect to arouse him. Itachi's hands moved towards the buttons of her blouse before he paused and moved down her body, and began caressing and fondling her breasts through the fabric of her blouse which Shiki moaned at, slowly getting turned on by Itachi's touches.

"Itachi…"

Itachi smirked. "Yeah?"

"You…are evil. Hurry up!"

Itachi chuckled. "Patience, darling," he crooned, before he reached down and began slipping Shiki's white cotton panties off. He then leaned over Shiki's body, pressing a knee in between her legs, causing her to moan.

He had teased and tortured her enough.

Slowly, Itachi reached up and began unbuttoning the buttons of her blouse, almost tearing it off her body, and revealing the white lace bra that she wore underneath. Itachi then leaned forwards and kissed Shiki tenderly on the lips, tangling their tongues together in a dance as both his hands travelled up to Shiki's shoulders and slowly brought both the shoulder bra straps down. He then moved his right hand beneath her body and unclasped her bra, throwing it over the bed.

Itachi then moved his lips down to her throat and began sucking onto the tender skin, pinning both of Shiki's wrists down onto the bed by her head, moving slowly down her body, and onto her breasts. Itachi released his hold on Shiki's wrists before sticking his tongue out and licking her left breast from the bottom to her nipple, before beginning to suck on it, nipping on it gently with his teeth as he kneaded her other breast roughly with one of his hands.

The low moan that Itachi heard pleased him.

He soon started moving slowly down her body which was slowly heating up in the heat of passion, licking her abdomen on the way down until he got down to her inner thighs, kissing and caressing them as he did so.

"Itachi…"

The mentioned guy almost groaned to himself as his girlfriend's breathless moans were driving him almost crazy which is already strange in a way. Especially since Uchihas do not show emotion, and they do not lose control. Yet here he is, doing both of those things right now.

Itachi moved up her slightly heated body slowly, reaching her lips, smashing both their lips together, fondling her entrance with his fingers, before inserting his index finger into it, moving within her. A light gasp made him smirk, and he then inserted another finger slowly, causing her to wiggle beneath him restlessly.

Shiki moaned into his mouth as she wrapped her arms around Itachi's neck, bringing him closer to her, as Itachi's tongue tangled together with hers, exploring her mouth thoroughly, as he wiggled his fingers about in her.

As he pulled his fingers out, Itachi smirked as he felt the cool liquid coming from her.

She was ready.

And Itachi doesn't want to draw this out any longer. Any longer, and he might lose control and hurt Shiki unintentionally. And besides, he needed to be inside her as soon as he can. His erection is already hardening by the minute.

Itachi started caressing her breasts and nipples, and Shiki leaned into his touch, her eyes closed, her face flushed with the heat of passion.

He then placed his hard cock at her entrance and started to push into her slowly. The low moan from Shiki aroused him even more, and Itachi fought to stay in control as he pushed in halfway. Finally, he hit her barrier that meant he was her first, and about to take her innocence, and stopped moving, chewing on his bottom lip.

Should he really go on ahead with it?

He's an ANBU after all. And ANBUs rarely retire from service. Most of them died in the line of service, which also explains why the ANBU are always lacking in manpower, and why Tsunade had always worked Itachi and his team to the bone.

If he dies, Shiki deserve someone who will cherish her and treasure her. Should he really be so selfish as to take away her innocence which should be reserved for that 'someone else' if he should die? And yet, thinking about it really makes his heart ache – that his lover would be with someone else other than him.

Already feeling a little breathless and lightheaded, Itachi looked down at Shiki only to see that his lover had her eyes shut, with her face flushed, and her mouth was opened slightly. Damn. She looked so delicious like that, and Itachi had to resist the urge to simply take her then and there.

"Shiki." Itachi breathed, caressing her face with one hand, still with his cock slightly into her entrance. Shiki's eyes slid opened blearily, and Itachi could see that her eyes were glazed over, and she was breathing heavily as well. Itachi panted slightly; he couldn't take much more of this any longer. "Are you sure that you want to go through with this? Are you ready?"

"Yes," she moaned, giving a slight nod with her head, her face flushed, and feeling a little lightheaded from their current activities. "Do it."

"This will hurt for a little bit." Itachi murmured before he leaned down and kissed her senseless at the same time when he thrust into her completely and ripping through her barrier.

Her scream of pain was slightly muffled with Itachi's lips covering hers, and Itachi groaned into Shiki's mouth with pleasure as he released himself into her tight heat. Shiki tightened her hold around Itachi's neck, her nails digging into his back as she tried to deal with the pain.

Itachi quickened and hardened his kisses as he felt Shiki wiggling about beneath him, pushing deeper into her, thrusting and grinding as he did so. He soon felt Shiki loosening her grip on his back with her nails which meant that the pain that she was feeling must be dulling by now. She moaned into his mouth as he filled her completely.

Itachi broke the kiss for some air, and Shiki opened her eyes blearily to look at him.

"Itachi. Move."

Itachi smirked before he swooped down on her again, and captured her lips in a passionate kiss as he pulled out of her. But before she could protest, he thrust back into her, thrusting and grinding as he did so, causing her to moan in pure pleasure. Itachi started out with a slow pace as he thrust in and out of her, slowly grinding into her, listening to her screams of pleasure.

'_Kami… This feels so good…' _Unknowingly, Shiki had started to move with Itachi's pace, feeling him thrust in and out of her, and still wanting more. _'I shouldn't be doing this with him, I know, but I want more.'_

"More, Itachi. Please. Give me more." Shiki moaned into his mouth, and Itachi smirked against her lips.

He then quickened his pace and did her harder, and Shiki then started to moan in pure pleasure. She wrapped her legs around his waist, allowing Itachi to be able to dive deeper into her. Itachi moved his kisses down onto her neck as he began nibbling onto the soft tender skin there, leaving a red mark.

'_Screw control. I want this.'_

Itachi then abandoned all thoughts of self-control and began grinding into her, grunting in pleasure when he saw Shiki arching her back as she dug her nails deeper into his back. He then started thrusting in and out of her in a steady rhythm, suddenly diving into a spot that made Shiki suddenly feel extremely lightheaded and breathless both in one, almost reaching her climax.

"More!"

Itachi grunted as he thrust into her in that same exact spot once more, causing her to scream in pleasure, his movements quickening, and becoming more erratic. He soon felt her inner walls tightening around him, causing him to go harder and faster as a result, and making Shiki scream in ecstasy.

"Itachi…" she moaned loudly, feeling the pressure building up within her. "Almost…there… More…!"

Itachi grunted as he understood what Shiki was trying to tell him as he quickened his pace, thrusting in and out of her, with both of them almost reaching their climax. But he wanted more at the same time as he thrust in even deeper, causing the pressure within both their bodies to build up even more.

"ITACHI!"

"SHIKI!"

They both screamed out as they climaxed at the same time, as he spilled his semen into her at the same moment when her inner walls clammed down on him.

**{Lemon scene ends}**

"Wow." Shiki murmured, dropping back onto the bed, feeling decidedly worn-out.

"Amen to that." Itachi grunted, sliding out of her and rolling off Shiki at the same time, pulling her body close to him.

It was already nightfall when Itachi glanced out of the window, and the moon was high in the sky. Shiki took one look out of the window, and almost groaned to herself when she saw that it was already night outside. And she didn't even have to look at the clock to know that it's fairly late. She is probably going to be bombarded by the interrogation squad (Neji, Shino and Gaara) come tomorrow morning.

Besides, Shiki seriously doubt that she would have enough energy left in her to continue the trek back to Narika, seeing as how Itachi had really worn her out. The redhead then slumped up next to Itachi, wrapping her arms around his torso, resting her head on his chest as she listened to his steady heartbeat which seemed a little too excited, and was calming down some.

"You should stay the night today." Itachi said lazily a few moments later. "I don't think that you have the energy left to walk back to wherever you are staying in right now anyway."

Shiki laughed to herself tiredly. "And whose fault is that?" she said, exhausted. "I'm going to have _a lot _of explaining to do come tomorrow though."

Itachi chuckled. "Time to sleep, I guess," he murmured, and Shiki nodded sleepily, already halfway to la-la-land.

Itachi chuckled at that before reaching for his shirt which had somehow ended on the bedside table, and started searching through it for the black velvet box which he found with little difficulty. Removing the silver bracelet with Shiki's name on it, he slid it onto the redhead's left wrist where it fitted like a glove.

Finally, Itachi closed his eyes, especially since that day's events had been particularly draining on him as well, and he soon fell asleep.

It was several hours later when Shiki woke up to the sound of the muffled ringing of her cellphone somewhere in the room. Itachi was snoring gently with his arms wrapped protectively around her, and Shiki carefully got out of his embrace without waking him up before tracking the muffled ringing down to where her blouse was discarded on the floor…along with several other pieces of clothing.

Shiki began rummaging through her blouse before finding her phone and answered it, sitting on the edge of the bed with a part of the blanket covering her body.

"Hello?" she spoke into the phone, her voice sounding a tad bit hoarse.

"_Shiki? Where are you?" _Gaara's voice sounded through the phone, sounding both concerned and worried.

"Gaara? Sorry, I probably should have called back," said Shiki, glancing over at Itachi before tearing her eyes away from him. "Don't worry, I'm alright. I'll be back by morning."

There was silence for a long while before Gaara sighed heavily on the other end of the line. _"I don't even want to know what you're up to with that guy," _he muttered, and Shiki blushed. _"Seriously, Shiki! I would have expected something like this from Kankuro, but from you?"_

Shiki chuckled lightly. "Sorry," she apologised. "Do the others know?"

Gaara sighed. _"Apart from me, only Shino and Neji," _he said. _"Do you seriously think that the others would have let that ANBU guy live if they had figured out his relationship with you? Yugito especially." _He then turned serious. _"I've already told you countless times, and so did Neji. I don't think that it's advisable for you to continue seeing him, but it's your choice. I can't force you to end it. It's just that I don't think that it is a wise decision on your part. We are Ragnarok. And he is ANBU. We are enemies."_

Shiki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I know," she said. "You don't have to tell me that." She then sighed. "I'll be back by morning, I promise. Help me come up with any excuse to convince the others, especially Yugito and Haku."

Gaara sighed. _"The things that I do for you…" _he grumbled, making Shiki chuckle. _"Fine. I'll see what I can do. Hurry back tomorrow. We're heading to Katokori tomorrow to lay low for awhile, especially with our previous job."_

Shiki nodded, despite knowing that Gaara can't see it. "Thank you." _Click._

Shiki then sighed as she closed her phone, turning to look at Itachi's sleeping form. She then blinked as she noticed the new addition of a bracelet onto her wrist, and smiled to herself, bringing it up to her eye-level. She then sighed, letting her hand fall onto the bed.

"I see two sides of you," she murmured. "The ANBU captain that you are. And the Uchiha Itachi that I knew. From the start, I know that our relationship is going to be like this. If truth be told, if I had a choice, I would rather that I had never met you. Then I wouldn't be worrying about whether the others will kill you or not once they found out. Our relationship…is almost like a double-edged sword for you. If you knew the truth about me, then your views of everything – the world, me, even the nin-users…will be shattered."

Shiki then sighed and got up, unwrapping the blanket around her before stumbling around in the darkness, trying to find her clothes before putting them on. As she headed out of the room, Uchiha Itachi opened his eyes, frowning slightly, as several moments later, he heard the front door open and close.

What did Shiki mean by that?

* * *

_A/N: Done at last. The longest chapter that I've ever done. And this is my first time writing a lemon scene, so pardon me if it sucks. I'll also deeply appreciate some reviews to know how this chapter had gone. Also, a heads-up. I'm probably going to attempt to make a video for Blood Red Moon. Tell me what you think about that idea._

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_I want you to come with me, Shiki."_

"_There's a traitor amongst us."_

"_Who are you?"_

"_I'm thankful to them. If I had gone after Orochimaru myself, I would have probably gone the same way that my friends had."_

"_Are you Isaribi? I'm Uchiha Itachi."_


	16. Companions

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: Companions**

_Leaf Isle  
Japan_

The Leaf Isle of the country of Japan is a small remote island located out in the middle of the sea with absolutely no way to get to it unless you're on boat. That was the ANBU's primary execution grounds for high profile criminals which also served as the prison grounds for high profile criminals, and naturally, that prison was also guarded by the best guards belonging to the Chief of all ANBU, alongside the best security measures that money can buy.

Only a crazy person or someone totally out of their mind would try to break into that place, as all those that have tried have never made it out alive. And it is also common knowledge among all ANBU agents that all the guards stationed at that prison have a 'shoot to kill' policy. They would not hesitate to shoot first and to ask questions later.

After the end of the war, the ANBUs have made Leaf Isle the main execution grounds, alongside the prison for high profile criminals. And every ANBU agent had to at least make a visit there once in their lifetime, though not one of them liked to stay long, as the place is just too damn depressing.

But as it is, Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, Akasuna no Sasori and Nagato still found themselves there on an early Saturday morning one week after Amachi's trial in which he was found guilty by the judge less than twenty minutes after the trial had began.

The four ANBU agents watched through the one-way looking glass in the room where two of the ANBU guards dressed in black bullet proof vests, along with the standard black guard uniform, alongside black combat boots and a cap, were both in the room with Amachi, the latter who was strapped to a metal chair with metal chains and shackles, along being blindfolded and gagged to prevent any chances of escape.

It might be a little cruel, but this is standard protocol for high profile criminals set to be executed in Leaf Isle. They could not allow any of the criminals here to escape, and so far, none have eluded them…yet. After that entire fiasco with Orochimaru when the ANBU have busted more than half of his smuggling and drug rings, more than half of the prison cells in Leaf Isle were full of his allies and supporters, and the ANBU were also running ragged, trying to determine just who is guilty, and who is innocent, and they were also trying to round up his remaining supporters.

But even then, they couldn't manage to get every single one of them, and Amachi is just one of Orochimaru's supporters whom the Ragnarok had delivered to the ANBU in a nice package, alongside the number of evidences left behind at the organ factory where the ANBU had arrested the man in question.

Sasori flinched slightly as all four ANBUs watched as hundreds upon thousands of electrical volts ran through Amachi's body with the electrical conductor chair, and he soon went limp in the chair. The prison's medic then approached Amachi, and began to examine him slowly before nodding to the ANBU guard, certifying Amachi's death.

Itachi and the other three then sighed and turned away from the one-way looking glass, heading towards the medic's office so that they can get the coroner's report to certify Amachi's death. Tsunade had sent the four of them to Leaf Isle in order to confirm Amachi's death. ANBU had already failed once too many, and the public are already saying things like Ragnarok seemed to be more competent than the ANBU in locating a man who had been on the run from the ANBU for the past four years.

"Thank kami that it's over." Sasori sighed, ironing his forehead with his hand. "I never want to view another execution taking place again."

"Yeah, me too." Kisame admitted. "It's unnerving."

Nagato said nothing, but Itachi sighed just then, bringing everyone's attention to him. "I'm not really satisfied with how things had turned out with this case," he said bluntly. "It seems that Ragnarok has been a lot more active than usual of late, compared to the past four years when we've been after them."

Kisame sighed. "Yeah. But we can do nothing about them when we don't even know the slightest thing about them," he said. "Shikamaru and Sasori have been sifting through every single one of the ANBU records on nin-users, but we can find no record on them whatsoever. We need a name at least!"

"They're not stupid as well," said Nagato grimly. "That's why they took great care not to leave behind any trace of them, and neither are they stupid enough to use names in our presences. They are not your typical group."

Itachi sighed. "Anyway, we've all had a long week," he said. "We're not due back at headquarters for about another five hours for another meeting, so go and do some shopping or something. Take it as a kind of stress reliever."

"Yeah, I think I need that." Nagato sighed. "And Konan had been badgering me to go shopping with her for awhile now. Might help us take our minds off things as well."

**XXXXXX**

_Nirako  
Japan_

The roar of a sleek silver and dark blue motorcycle came to a stop by the side of the road outside a cake shop, inviting several 'oohs' and 'aahs' from a group of high school students from the town's local high school as the rider removed his helmet, inviting several squeals from all teenage girls present, causing Uchiha Itachi to wince as his fan club steadily grew larger.

He had taken the chance to go for a spin to take his mind off things.

It _did _work for a while, but not for long, as his mind kept returning to Ragnarok, recurring around that mysterious group, their members, the fact that at least four of them are nin-users, to their mysterious leader otherwise known as 'Twila', and then to Shiki.

Itachi had always trusted his instincts and his gut feeling as it had saved him on more than one occasion, and he had a gut feeling that Shiki had something to do with Ragnarok. And if it is one thing that Itachi knew, it is to trust his instincts.

Itachi then sighed as he got off his bike, and turned the key in the ignition engine, turning off the engine of his bike before dropping the key into his pocket, and looked up at the signboard of the cake shop that he is currently standing outside of.

He then sighed to himself.

It had been a long week for him and his team members, and he might as well buy something to cheer them all up. All that he had been seeing all week are dull and gloomy faces as if the world is coming to an end.

A bell tinkled somewhere in the shop as Itachi pushed opened one of the glass doors of the shop, and headed towards the display sets of the cake shop where several appetizing and delicious looking cakes sat prettily in display cases.

"What would you like, sir?" One of the girls working at the shop asked politely.

Itachi frowned for a moment as he considered what his teammates liked for cake, but all of that flew out of the window when he heard a familiar voice next to him spoke. "I would like a double layered chocolate cake with vanilla icing by the sides."

"Certainly, miss."

Itachi whipped his head around only to meet equally surprised blue eyes belonging to a certain redhead that he knew.

"Hey," said Shiki with a small tentative smile. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah. What a coincidence." Itachi muttered before he turned back to the shop assistant and ordered two double layered cheesecakes, as nearly half of his teammates have pretty humongous appetites.

The two then headed over to the cashier for the girl manning the cash register to rig up their orders, and both waited in silence as she did so. An awkward silence fell between both Itachi and Shiki, before the raven haired Uchiha spoke.

"…Shiki?"

"What?" asked Shiki, not looking at Itachi, but was fixing her gaze on the cake display sets that she could see, pretending to be interested in them, but Itachi was not fooled.

"I…" Itachi bit on his lower lip. "I want you to come with me."

_That _had the instant effect to cause Shiki to turn to look at him, a bewildered look on her face. "Excuse me?"

"I want you to come with me, Shiki." Itachi repeated his words from before, only more confidently this time.

"I…can't do that."

"Why?"

"I have things that I have to do here," said Shiki patiently. "Besides…" She turned her head away from Itachi. "…I don't want to leave."

Itachi was about to say something, but his cellphone rang just then with the ringtone of Web of Night blaring through, and he immediately fished his cellphone out of his pocket and snapped into the receiver. _"What?!"_

Itachi could almost _see_ whoever is on the other end of the line winced at the Uchiha's foul mood that day.

"_Whoa. Bad day?"_

Itachi relaxed as he recognised the voice. It was from Zetsu – an informant of sorts that don't work for any organisation, but merely make a living selling information to people from both the underworld and the ANBU.

"What is it?" asked Itachi, balancing his phone between his cheek and his shoulder as the cashier asked him to sign a receipt of acknowledgement for his order which he did so.

"_Just something that you've asked me to do a few weeks ago," _said Zetsu, and there was the sound of papers shuffling on the other end of the line. _"I've found one of Ragnarok's clients."_

Itachi paused in his tracks. "It took you four whole freaking MONTHS to find one client?"

Zetsu grumbled. _"Hey, it's Ragnarok that we're talking about here!"_

"Fair enough," said Itachi. "Who is it?"

"_It's a girl named Isaribi," _answered Zetsu. _"She lives in a small apartment in Narika. I'm sending the address over to your phone."_

Itachi frowned and nodded. "Thanks, Zetsu."

Zetsu sighed. _"Don't count on that girl telling you anything even if she __**is **__a former client of Ragnarok," _he said. _"From my experience, those that hired Ragnarok never spoke about them much. I think that it has something to do with the conditions that tied with hiring their services."_

"Roger that." _Click._

Itachi then shut his phone and slipped it back into his pocket before turning towards Shiki. "Shiki—" His voice was then caught in his throat as he saw that Shiki had long disappeared. Apparently, she had collected her cake and paid for it in a jiffy before leaving the shop. All in a span of five seconds without Itachi even noticing her. "Okay, scratch the whole 'who are you' business. Just WHERE are you?"

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Hiraiko_

"I'm back." Shiki called out as she entered the boathouse, closing the door behind her. "And I've brought some cake."

"Shiki, we've got a message from Jiraiya," said Haku, tilting a thumb over her shoulder, pointing towards Shino, and her eyes then brightened up to see the cake box in Shiki's hands as it had been quite some time since any of them had some cake.

"What is the message?" asked Shiki with a frown.

"Something about ANBU. Or to be more specific, Akatsuki and Rendoku." Shino answered, turning to face Shiki. "Apparently, they've increased their efforts in pursuing us. Jiraiya wants us to be careful, especially since we _have_ been a lot more active of late."

Shiki sighed. "I was wondering when it will come to this," she muttered.

Hinata who is on the couch with Neji frowned. "Shiki?"

"We're going to have to move to our old hideout temporarily until the fuss with the ANBU had died down," said Shiki, glancing at her friends. "And it also helps that it might help to cover up our tracks, as we had also been on the search for the Bijuu Shrines of late."

Yugito frowned. "Our old hideout?" she said slowly. "You don't mean…"

Shiki nodded. "Yeah. In the Dark Forest." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I really don't want to have to do this, but do it we must. As that is the only place where I _know _we can be truly safe, and where the ANBU wouldn't even _dream _of looking." She fixed every face with a steely look. "In the Forbidden Village."

**

* * *

**The ancient village, the sanctuary of the very first nin-users of the world – hidden deep within the Dark Forest which no sane human being would go into, located in the southern region of the country of Japan. Shiki had taken all of Ragnarok there only once after Tenten had joined them, and she had told them everything about the Bijuu Nine and the Shrines.

The forest and trees of the ancient Dark Forest protected that village, and in turn, protected the sanctuary of the nin-users – the only place where they could be truly safe. But for millennia ever since the time of the first nin-users, the Forbidden Village had already fallen into ruin, looking almost like the ancient ruins that archaeologists are so fond of exploring these days.

It is an extremely small village, probably only large enough to contain about thirty people at one time, but it is extremely peaceful, with nature surrounding them, with plenty of food and water from the lake that surrounds the eastern part of the small village which is how Ragnarok had travelled there.

A tall tower almost as tall as the trees of the Dark Forest that protected the Forbidden Village stood in the middle of the village, with a flat platform right at the top of the tower which Shiki liked to sit at. And it also helps that from there, one would be able to see anyone coming for hours in advance, not that they needed it, as barriers and special seals were placed in a twenty mile radius of the village.

And it also helps that the main Bijuu Shrine – the one where all nine of the Bijuu Nine were enshrined was located in this very village, not that they should be surprised, as the Forbidden Village is supposed to be the sanctuary for the nin-users.

"I didn't think that we would have to come back here," sighed Haku. "We swore once that we would only come here if we are in trouble."

"How long must we stay here, Shiki?" asked Temari, turning towards the redhead.

"As long as it takes," said Shiki with a sigh. "You guys know your rooms, so I'll leave you to it."

She then turned away, heading towards the direction of the main Bijuu Shrine where she always went to whenever they have came here, completely missing Neji's look of concern and longing.

**XXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters  
Leaf City_

'_Name: Endo Kitaki  
__Birth Date: July 16, XXXX  
__Hometown: Unknown  
Status: Deceased_

_A suspected member of the motorcycle gang Midnight Butterfly, she is suspected to be a B-class nin-user with powers over fire. Suspected to be killed in a nin-user fight with an opposing gang on the night of 28 August XXXX—'_

Flip.

Itachi threw another file over his shoulder on the couch that he was sitting without even looking away, adding it to the already growing pile of files and folders behind him which is already starting to resemble a 'mountain' of some sort.

And this is the sight that Nagato, Konan and Kisame have walked in on when they walked into the meeting room of the Akatsuki only to see that the only person in the room is their captain which is a surprise in itself. Especially since if the Akatsuki aren't on missions, there are usually always two members present in the room.

But that wasn't what had surprised them.

The fact that their captain is currently reading through a small mountain of files and folders in front of him with another growing pile of files and folders behind him which is growing steadily by the minute is.

"Do I even want to know what is going on here?" asked Konan with a raised brow.

"Hey," said Itachi, waving his right hand lazily about without even looking up from the file that he is reading. "Take a file and help me out here, will you? These are files on all the nin-users ever known to us that the ANBU had kept track of."

"Oh."

Kisame then frowned as he peered over Itachi's shoulder only to see that he was reading one of the latest records of some nin-user whilst Nagato and Konan have both picked up one file each, and was currently reading it through.

"Hagako?" Kisame muttered. "Isn't that the town that was attacked more than eight years ago?"

"Yeah," said Itachi with a nod, still without looking up. "There were unconfirmed rumours going around that there was a nin-user there at that time. Those rumours still weren't confirmed, as Hagako don't really take kindly to the ANBU. But if those rumours are to be believed, the nin-user there is supposed to be among the most powerful ever known. The name of the nin-user is unknown, but if she is still alive now, she should be about sixteen."

"Sixteen?" Konan echoed. "That's around the age of Sasuke and the others."

Itachi nodded solemnly, looking up. "The powers of that particular nin-user were unusually strong, even for a nin-user. But whatever that her powers are, it is relatively left unknown, though the stats stated here are relatively high." Itachi frowned at that. Under the stats' column of this mystery nin-user are a bunch of questions marks, along with nearly every single thing about her profile, including her name, age and nin-user rank.

"All ANBU agents sent after her to recruit her then were sent back injured, which means that it is mission failed. And from what is stated here, she is the leader of Hagako's most feared gang – Blade. But when the town was attacked roughly eight years ago, nearly the entire gang perished, save for a few. It is relatively left unknown whether that girl survived or not, but she had never reappeared again after that. And when ANBU agents were sent there, this time, they came back in body bags. Though whether it is the work of that girl, or of that of some street gang, it is still relatively left unknown to this day."

"Hagako had a reputation for the danger." Konan muttered, looking thoughtful. "Even ANBU agents perished there occasionally. It isn't that farfetched if that girl _did_ perished back then."

"But still, if we're looking for a nin-user in our records who is among the top tier, then this mystery person is our only lead," said Itachi, glancing at his teammates. "I've been going back and forth through all our records for _months _now! The mystery profile of this unknown person is the best lead that we had so far if we're talking about the power tier of nin-users."

"Yes, and about that, it is a little strange. To me, at least," said Nagato with a frown just then. The orange-haired telekinetic glanced at the pile of files and folders on the coffee table that they were all gathered around before looking at his friends. "I've been thinking about this for some time now. And even Nara Shikamaru of Rendoku had agreed with me. I've been matching every single one of our encounters with Ragnarok out in the field, and this is what I've came up with. It is like Ragnarok somehow _knew _what we are about to do whenever we were sent on a mission after them, or something regarding them. That time with that 'Dracula' case, then the data disk mission, and then when we've raided the organ factory… And not to mention the fact that they left behind quite a nice pile of evidences for us to ensure that Amachi actually got the death sentence this time."

Konan frowned at her boyfriend. "Nagato, what are you implying?"

"I think that there is a traitor amongst us," said Nagato solemnly, and that proclamation simply sent chills up the spines of everyone present.

**XXXXXX**

_Two Days Later  
Hiraiko, Japan_

_Snip. Snip. Snip._

With every delft snip of the scissors, a lock of hair fell to the ground. And right on cue, the ringtone of Uchiha Itachi's cellphone blared out, and as he reached out to grab his cellphone, Shiki slapped his shoulder lightly.

"Don't move," she said warningly. "Or you'll come complaining that I made a mistake cutting your hair."

Itachi smiled at Shiki, half turning his head towards her. "Sorry," he said, before he fished his cellphone out and answered the call. "Moshi moshi?"

His brother's irritated voice blared through. _"Aniki? Where are you?"_

"Sasuke?" Itachi blinked owlishly. "Well, I'm—"

"Keep still." Shiki muttered threateningly.

"Sorry."

Meanwhile on the other end of the line, all the way back at the ANBU headquarters of Leaf City, Uchiha Sasuke almost dropped his phone as he distinctly heard a female voice on the other end of the line. And as far as Uchiha Sasuke knew, his brother _never_ had any contact with any females, _or _even had any female friends apart from Konan.

Who did that voice belonged to? Was that his brother's girlfriend or something? If so, then why did Itachi never said anything about that? On the other hand, Sasuke thinks that he _does _know the reason why Itachi had kept quiet about his girlfriend, _if _it even _is_ his girlfriend in the first place.

ANBU holds a relatively dangerous job, and ANBU agents are advised against having relationships with civilians because of the relatively short lifespan that they each hold in this line, along with the secrets that every ANBU agent held during their reign in the ANBU.

"_Aniki, who is that—"_

"Goodbye Sasuke," said Itachi firmly, and pressed the 'end call' button on his cellphone.

_Click._

**

* * *

**The motorcycle came to a stop outside Cat's Eye, and Shiki got off, slipping the helmet off her head, and handing it to Itachi.

"Thanks," she said quietly, but she refused to meet Itachi's eyes.

For lack of a better word, things between her and Itachi have been a little…tense as of late.

Itachi wanted to know just why Shiki couldn't come with him, and she had no way of telling Itachi about her double identity as the captain of Ragnarok. Shiki knew that she should break things off with him, but she simply can't bring herself to do it.

Maybe she really _is_ in too deep in order to get out now.

Itachi suddenly spun Shiki around, and planted a small chaste kiss on her lips before pulling away, combing a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I promise to love you forever," he said softly, resting his forehead against Shiki's.

"What is that all about?" asked Shiki, startled, as Itachi drew back from her.

Itachi said nothing at all.

How could he bring himself to ask Shiki if she is the leader of that little assassin organisation that had the ANBU all hot and bothered for the past four years? How could he even bring himself to ask Shiki if she had been the one killing criminals and those who deserves to be punished all around Japan? How could he even bring himself to ask Shiki if she had been the one playing all of ANBU like a violin? How could he even bring himself to ask her any of that?

"Itachi?"

"It's nothing," muttered Itachi, shaking his head.

Raising an eyebrow, Shiki shrugged it off as none of her business before turning around and heading into Cat's Eye. But before she could do so, a call from Itachi caused her to turn around. The raven haired teen was bending down to pick up a sleek dark blue wallet which had fallen from her pocket, with the fall knocking the wallet opened at the same time, showing a recent photo taken of Shiki and the rest of Ragnarok nearly a year ago.

"You've dropped this," said Itachi. An eyebrow then rose as he saw the photo in the wallet. Are these people Shiki's friends or something? She had never mentioned them before. The Uchiha then frowned as he focused on four of the people in the photo. _'Huh? Those four… They looked familiar… Like I'd seen them somewhere before…'_

"Thank you," said Shiki hastily, taking her wallet from Itachi, and praying to kami that Itachi didn't recognise any of her friends in the photo as Ragnarok members. "I should be going as well. Goodbye."

She then took down the street.

"Shiki!" Itachi called after her, but she either ignored him, or didn't hear him. "Didn't you just say that you are meeting your friends at Cat's Eye?" He muttered. Itachi then frowned as he suddenly put a memory to those four faces that he'd seen in the photo.

_We're members of Ragnarok. Nice to meet you._

_People from the ANBU, I hope that you are prepared._

Itachi gulped, feeling a sudden cold feeling sink into his tummy. _'It can't be…'_

**XXXXXX**

_Forbidden Village  
Dark Forest_

It was raining.

It was just like that dreadful night all those years ago when Shiki had lost her first friends to Oto in the city of Hagako – the first time when she had truly realised that the nin-users of the world are truly alone, and that there is no one in this world who would lift a single finger to help them, apart from other nin-users.

It was raining just like that night, and yet, it did not bother Namikaze Shiki in the least as she sat at the edge of the platform of the tower, her legs dangling below her as she let the rain pelt down on her.

The sound of light footsteps on the wet platform caused Shiki to turn around only to see Gaara standing behind her in a dark coat, his red hair plastered to his head by the rain.

"…Gaara."

**

* * *

**_ANBU Headquarters  
Leaf City_

The light click clacking of the keys on the keyboard of the computer were the only sounds that could be heard in the meeting room-cum-office of the Akatsuki as Uchiha Itachi tapped away at his computer, with the raven haired teen being the only one in the office.

Itachi bit down on his lower lip as he tried to recall bits and pieces of information that Shiki had let slip or had told him throughout the time that he had known her. _'If I recall correctly, Iruka-san at Cat's Eye had mentioned once to me in passing that Shiki is originally from Hagako.'_

"Hagako…" Itachi then muttered, recalling the conversation that he had with Kisame, Konan and Nagato earlier that day.

_Isn't that the town that was attacked more than eight years ago?_

_There were unconfirmed rumours going around that there was a nin-user there at that time. Those rumours still weren't confirmed, as Hagako don't really take kindly to the ANBU. But if those rumours are to be believed, the nin-user there is supposed to be among the most powerful ever known._

_The powers of that particular nin-user were unusually strong, even for a nin-user. But whatever that her powers are, it is relatively left unknown, though the stats stated here are relatively high._

_She is the leader of Hagako's most feared gang – Blade._

Itachi rubbed his temples together with both frustration and terror.

Terror that Shiki is truly whom he had suspected. And frustration that all the small clues that he had seemed to be pointing more towards the direction that Shiki is the leader of the group that they have been after for the past four years.

'_Shiki…please. Please don't let it be you!'_

Itachi then closed the window on his computer before switching to the nin-user database system that the ANBU had on their system. He quickly made a quick search under the keyword 'Hagako', and a much detailed report soon showed up on his screen.

**

* * *

**"It's finally time, isn't it?" Gaara muttered, standing behind Shiki with his hands stuffed into his pockets as he looked up at the sky.

"Yeah," said Shiki with a nod. Neither one of them said anything for several moments before Shiki tilted her head back to look at the skies, before looking below her at the village once more. "The skies are crying again. Crying for the injustices that the dead have suffered. No matter how much we have done, it can't bring the dead back."

Light footsteps sounded just then, and both Shiki and Gaara turned only to see Haku approaching them, with a dark blue coat on. "But still, our deeds can at least allow them to rest in peace," said the ice maiden softly. Haku then paused in her tracks about five steps away from both Shiki and Gaara, her right hand resting on her hip, before she tilted her left thumb over her shoulder. "Yugito is in the graveyard. She's calming the spirits down. So she can't move for awhile…for about three days."

Yugito has the power over the dead to the extent that not only could she animate the dead to make them fight for her, she could also communicate with the spirits of the dead. It is a pretty nifty ability to have, especially at times when Ragnarok wishes to know just how a certain individual had died and who had killed them so that they do not go after the wrong person.

The graveyard of the Forbidden Village at the back of the village surrounded by trees that seemed to be dead seemed to surround the graveyard in a circle. Those graves were the graves of the very first nin-users who were buried here, along with some of the other nin-users that Ragnarok couldn't save during their travels. And because their deaths were so horrific and so sudden, their spirits had died cursing the world and the ANBU. And in order to soothe and calm down the spirits, there are times when Yugito had to calm the spirits down by using her nin-ability.

"Have you two regained enough of your strength to make a little trip with me?" Shiki asked, turning back to look down at the village below her.

Haku and Gaara knew what that had meant instantly.

After Sumaru's letter to Shiki in which he had stated all the locations of the Bijuu Shrines apart from the main shrine which Shiki had asked her old friend to locate for her a few years back, Ragnarok had been setting out to seal every single one of them. But after every sealing, it causes a great strain on their bodies and their strength, and they have to wait for at least four months before they have gained back enough of their strength to seal another shrine away.

"Yeah."

"Of course."

Shiki gave a small smile, unseen by both Haku and Gaara both, before she stood up, and turned to face her friends.

"Let's go."

**

* * *

**Itachi scrolled down the screen slowly, reading the report that some ANBU agent had submitted a while back.

_The town of Hagako, also known as one of the more dangerous towns to venture into because of its gang infestation, and walking in there is rather like walking in a forest full of tigers—_

**

* * *

**_Bijuu Shrine  
Unknown Location_

"This is it," said Haku solemnly as the three stepped out onto the small unknown island in this unknown location.

A small temple-like building, and yet majestic-looking shrine stood in front of them, with ruby red steps leading to the entrance with shoji doors blocking the entrance. Silver statues of what seemed to be a three-tailed turtle lined each side of the entrance, and all three present could tell that there is a remarkably powerful barrier surrounding this shrine – protecting it from all intruders.

Shiki sighed. "Alright. Let's start work," she said.

**

* * *

**—_only one known nin-user there at that time, though those rumours couldn't be confirmed because of the mere fact alone that not one ANBU managed to attain enough information on this mystery nin-user as she eludes us each and every time—_

**

* * *

**A bright flash of light surrounded the temple-like building that now stood before Shiki, Haku and Gaara on this small unknown island in some unknown location, before the light dispersed, and the shrine slowly vanished from sight – telling the three nin-users present that the shrine had been successfully sealed away.

Shiki breathed heavily, beads of sweat visible on her forehead, as beside her, Gaara was in the same position. Haku who had been helping the two of them to maintain the stability barrier breathed a sigh of relief. Always, there must always be at least three of them present to seal away one shrine, as it would not succeed with two or less people.

"It is over," said Haku, exhausted.

Shiki nodded tiredly. "With that, this is three down," she said, glancing at the shrine as it slowly disappeared before vanishing from sight completely. "…with six more to go."

"It's really too bad that we can't seal all nine at one go, especially since it causes a severe strain on our bodies every single time that we've sealed one away," said Gaara with a sigh. "Kankuro and Neji are both still recovering from the last sealing."

"But it's a start, right?" asked Haku.

Shiki nodded. "Yeah."

**

* * *

**—_all rumours of this mystery nin-user stopped completely after the attack on the street gang Blade eight years ago, and not a single inhabitant in Hagako knew where she had gone to. Months after that, ANBU then started getting reports that relatively well-known nin-users from different towns and cities in Japan which are also in the 'danger' zone have vanished mysteriously all of a sudden, and all those nin-users are ones that ANBU had set their sights on. This mystery is never solved._

Itachi sighed, leaning back into his chair, rubbing his eyes.

'_Shiki…it can't be you, right?' _he thought desperately. _'Please don't let it be you. Please.'_

**XXXXXX**

_The Next Day  
Narika, Japan_

Itachi brought his motorcycle to a stop outside a small house in the seaport town of Narika, and looked at the apartment that he had stopped outside of only to see that it was nearly falling to pieces. He then looked at the slip of paper in his hand on which was written the address of that nin-user that Zetsu had found after MONTHS of searching, and which the information broker had given him, and Itachi saw that it is indeed the correct address.

The Uchiha then sighed and walked up to the door and knocked on it. There was a slight pause before the door opened slowly, and a teenage girl in her late teens with dark hair and sapphire eyes with bandages around her head and part of her face was standing there in a blue dress.

"What is it?" she asked suspiciously.

Itachi sighed. "I'm Uchiha Itachi from the ANBU," he said, showing his identification pass, missing the brief dislike that flashed momentarily in the eyes of the girl. "I've heard that you're a former client of Ragnarok. Can you tell me more about them?"

"No," said the girl curtly before trying to shut the door. "Leave—"

"Please!" Itachi stopped the girl from trying to shut the door by wedging his foot in between the wedge of the door and the doorframe. "Just a little is fine! Just tell me about them, and what they are like! You don't have to tell me who they are! I just want to know more about them and why they are doing this!"

There was a long pause before the girl finally opened the door fully. "Come in."

Itachi nodded gratefully before closing the door shut behind him as he entered the apartment.

The apartment itself was extremely bare, and all that the one room apartment had is a bed, a table, a chair, a refrigerator, as well as a bookshelf and some painting supplies. Pretty blue curtains were also fluttering in the wind at the windows, and the apartment was relatively clean.

"I don't often get visitors, so I won't be able to offer you any tea," said the girl, sitting down in front of the canvas of the painting that was halfway done, and picking up a paintbrush.

"It's okay," said Itachi, sitting down on the worn-out couch. "What is your name?"

There was a slight pause before the girl continued painting. "Isaribi," she said. "I'm Isaribi."

"You live by yourself?"

Pause.

"Yeah," said Isaribi, closing her eyes for a brief moment before opening them again, soaking her brush into the glass bottle sitting on the small table by her side. "My family threw me out after what that bastard did to my body!"

"Did to you?"

Isaribi turned around in her chair so that the right side of her face was facing Itachi, and she then started to undo the bandages around her head and face before it fell off, revealing some scales on her face. Itachi's eyes widened in shock at that before Isaribi reapplied the bandages back onto her face.

"That's why I had moved here myself," said Isaribi curtly, turning back to her painting. "And that's why I had hired Ragnarok. Have you heard of the human experimenting case from four years back?"

"The one involving the experimenting on nin-abilities performed by Nakashita Toriya?" asked Itachi, and Isaribi nodded. "Yeah. I've heard of it. Apparently, he was killed by Ragnarok some months back as well."

Isaribi nodded. "I know the sister of the girl who had hired Ragnarok to take out Nakashita Toriya," she said. "Tokisha Miya. We were neighbours and childhood friends. But about four years ago, Miya and I were kidnapped. The one who had kidnapped us was Nakashita Toriya. He performed experiments on us…trying to give us nin-abilities. One by one, those that were kidnapped by him died. But that bastard didn't care in the least! And when the ANBU had finally arrived, it was _three whole months _after we were kidnapped! It was already too late…for most of us." A tear dropped from Isaribi's eye. "Out of the eighteen of us who were kidnapped, only eight survived. Miya and I were one of those. But…"

Isaribi tightened her grip on her brush, and it broke beneath the added pressure, causing quite a mark against the painting canvas.

"But?" Itachi dared to ask.

"When my family found out what had happened to me, and that the side-effects of those blasted experiments allowed me to breathe underwater easily, they threw me out, saying that I'm a freak. It's the same for my friends as well. Most of those that miraculously managed to survive that experiment suffered the same fate. Even though nin-users were slowly being accepted by some members of society, there is still a large number who hated and detested them. The murder of a nin-user wouldn't bother anyone in the least. In fact, those that did the killing would be considered heroes. That is what it is like here, and in most of the villages and towns in Japan."

Itachi kept quiet.

He knew what it is like for nin-users, seeing as how he had faced the same thing before he had been recruited by the ANBU. That was only part of the reason why he had mostly kept his powers a secret, even forbidding his own younger brother to use his powers when _his _powers have been awakened.

Isaribi continued her story, painting over the paint smudge that had been left behind when she had broke her painting brush against the canvas a moment ago. "Miya was lucky. Her family stood by her, braving all social ridicule and the snide remarks from the townspeople when they'd heard what had happened. But it is all for naught, as she killed herself when she found out what she'd become as a result of Nakashita's experiments. Maya, her older sister disappeared not long after that, and I left my hometown as well. From what I'd heard, their family moved away after Miya's death, and settled down somewhere in Nariya, one of the more neutral towns."

"I investigated for two full years about that experiment, and I finally found out the name of the person who had ordered it on us. Nakashita might be the one who had done the actual experimenting on us, but Orochimaru is the one who had ordered it in the first place. I then started tracking him down, trying to get my revenge, but I knew… I knew that I'm in no power to kill him. That's why…when I found out that Orochimaru had finally returned to Japan all those months back, I knew that my chance at revenge had finally arrived at last! I contacted Ragnarok and hired them to carry out my revenge."

Itachi couldn't find it in himself to interrupt the girl as a tirade of words came out like a torrent, both angry sounding, and also filled with so much sadness and pain that a girl her age should never have gone through.

Isaribi turned around in her chair and faced Itachi. "To me, Maya, and the many people who'd hired Ragnarok, they are the 'escape door' for us when there is no other option for us to turn to," she said. "I'm thankful to them. If I had gone after Orochimaru myself, I would have probably gone the same way that my friends had. The one who had ruined my life _isn't_ Ragnarok like what you ANBU guys are so fond of thinking. It is _Orochimaru." _She said the name like a curse.

Itachi frowned. "Who are they?" he asked carefully. "Ragnarok."

"Each one of them had suffered grave injustice when they're young," said Isaribi solemnly. "They're merely making sure that others would not suffer the same fate that they did. Criminal or not, most of those criminals out there have never stopped their crime days. We all knew that. Any person with even half a brain knew that."

Itachi was surprised. "But a few of Ragnarok's victims who have come out of jail swore that they've stopped their crime days—"

Isaribi snorted. "If their words can be trusted, pigs can fly," she retorted. "You're an ANBU agent yourself. You should know this better than anyone else. Not all criminals are punished by the law. Some got off. As even the law is not omnipotent." Itachi couldn't find a word to say to that remark. "And take this as a friendly word of advice: stay out of Ragnarok's way if you wish to retain your head." Her eyes hardened. "Because trust me, they won't hesitate to kill if they're ever backed into a corner."

"Ragnarok…" Itachi muttered. "What are they?"

"Who knows?" Isaribi shrugged.

Silence fell for several moments before Isaribi started to hum a tune below her breath, and singing softly to herself. Itachi's ears pricked up, and he froze as he vaguely remembered this song.

_Hoshi ni yuki ni kiwokuni  
Kimi no ashi a to sabashitu  
Doka towa no yasuraki__  
Koko wa yume no tochiuere_

_Asanai tsubasa de__  
Sakami chi kakedeku__  
Michikara haku rede  
Kono me wo tochi deku_

"That song…!" Itachi gasped, and Isaribi turned towards him with a curious expression on her face, a paintbrush in one hand. "H-How do you know this song?"

Isaribi stared at Itachi like he'd suddenly grown two new heads. "Huh? What's it to you?" she asked with a raised brow. "One of those who had saved me back then from Amachi sang this song to me when she was nursing me back to health after my own family had thrown me out. She told me once that it's a very special song which had originated from her mother's homeland."

That remark brought forth a long almost forgotten memory to the surface of Itachi's mind just then. A memory from all those months ago when he'd first heard this song at the beach of the town of Hiraiko.

_That song…is one that my mother had left behind when she had died. She told me in the letter that she had left behind that the song is a special one. Long ago, people from her country sang that song as a prayer of sorts._

Itachi pressed the heel of the palm of his hand against the side of his head, feeling shock, horror, terror and dismay all rolled up in one at once.

'_Shiki?'_

_

* * *

__A/N: A pretty long chapter this time around. So Itachi is finally catching on, it seems. I had been listening to the Naruto Shippuden soundtrack, with the song Samidare playing when Shiki, Gaara and Haku were sealing the shrine, and Itachi was sifting through the database, and then with the song Girei playing not long after that. Those two songs seem fitting for the mood and atmosphere for this chapter, it seems like._

_Anyway, seems like the video that I had been planning to create for this story might be a little delayed as I simply __**sucked **__in trying to draw Itachi. If there is anyone who is willing to make a little fanart for me, please let me know, thank you._

_Anyway, I'll appreciate it if you can review for this chapter, and thanks for reading, I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter!_

_**Preview of next chapter: The Burdened**_

"_You're the leader of Ragnarok, aren't you?"_

"_If I can't break out of this Hell that is this world, then I shall drag everyone down to Hell with me!"_

"_In this world, you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."_

"_ANBU and Ragnarok are enemies, you know that."_

"_Those who had sinned…do not deserve to live."_


	17. The Burdened

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: The Burdened**

_ANBU Headquarters  
Leaf City_

Uchiha Itachi stared blankly at his computer screen on which several windows were opened – one was the nin-user database that the ANBU uses, and the remaining windows were reports of that on the city of Hagako.

His fingers drummed lightly on his desk as he stared at the screen of his computer without really seeing anything at all, and he sighed again, confusing the hell out of the rest of his teammates who were all currently gathered in Akatsuki's meeting room-cum-lounge-cum-office.

Itachi had been sighing on and off for at least four hours, staring at his computer screen.

The Uchiha then frowned, trying to recall as much as he could about…Shiki, and his past encounters with the members of Ragnarok, including the first time that he had met the redhead.

_Twila._

_Huh?_

_You refused to tell me your name, so I shall give you one. I can't keep calling you 'you' all the time, can I? Besides, I think Twila meant 'justice' in Latin, and it meant 'freedom' in another language as well, I think. It kind of suits you anyway._

_You're persistent._

Then his very first encounter when he had came face-to-face against the members from Ragnarok. Though come to think of it, those people easily outmatched them, and could have killed them easily, yet they did not.

_Do you think that we will betray the one person who had given us hope when our lives were shrouded in darkness, and who had given us a new purpose in life?_

_We have nothing against the ANBU. But if attacked, we'll fight back, and we'll fight with all our might._

Then his meeting with Shiki at the party during the ANBU's mission to capture Orochimaru, and they have only found Ragnarok's handiwork when they have single-handedly killed Orochimaru and five of his subordinates even before the ANBU had arrived.

_Shiki! Let's go. It's time._

_Like all good things, this has to end._

Itachi sighed inwardly, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned back into his chair, not taking his eyes off of the screen of his computer. _'I really don't want to have to believe this, but all the clues are pointing towards Shiki being the leader of Ragnarok. And that Isaribi girl…I do not believe that she meant to let slip of that little bit of information, but Shiki is the only one who would know that song.'_

Itachi then turned off his computer and got up from his seat, pulling on his coat that hung over the back of his chair, inviting several curious looks from his teammates who were all currently crowded around Nagato's desk for some peculiar reason.

"Itachi?" Konan called out. "Where are you going?"

"Out," came the reply as Itachi strode towards the door. "I won't be back that soon."

And the door shut.

**XXXXXX**

_Hagako  
Japan_

'_Geez. This place hasn't changed a bit.' _Shiki thought to herself as she walked through the streets of Hagako, watching the teenagers lolling about in this place chatting with each other. The redhead also noted that the slums of Hagako was still that…just slums with graffiti scribbled all over the walls, and paint was also peeling from the walls with litter all over the place.

Finally, Shiki stopped outside a broken down building in District 30 of Hagako – the single most dangerous place in all of Hagako. The building seemed to be some type of pub in the past, with wooden boards being nailed across the windows, and graffiti was scribbled all over the walls where paint was peeling from. Wooden boards were also nailed across the entrance of this building.

Shiki eyed the building expressionlessly, her hands stuffed into her pockets. The building looked abandoned, almost like it hadn't been touched for years. She then sighed inwardly. Who is she kidding? Of course it hadn't been touched for years. The people of Hagako probably still feared their name despite the fact that more than eight years have passed since that night.

That's right. This building was once the hideout of Blade, her old street gang before she had founded Ragnarok.

_Light laughter._

"_Come on, don't be silly! Even with all your powers, you can't save everyone! You're not a god. And even a god can't save everyone. You've already done what you could, and that is enough for us! I'm sure that everyone thinks the same as well."_

Shiki then let her gaze sweep around the area, surveying the place.

She could really imagine that she had gone back in time – gone back to eight years in the past. This place hadn't changed a bit. The only signs that time had passed ever since that day is the evidence left in place of that fateful night – the night when the ANBU had left them to die.

There were several scorch marks on the ground as well as on the roads, and also several burn marks as well as gunshot marks, and sword or knife slashes on the walls of the surrounding buildings. Shiki's eyes darkened, as she clenched her hands into fists by her sides.

"_Kyah!"_

"_Sara!"_

_A flash of blade._

"_You're not getting away with this!"_

"_Suigetsu! Stop! You can't—"_

"_Shut up, Sumaru!"_

"_Sumaru, take Hotaru and Mizura and get out of here!"_

"_But—"_

"_Don't worry about me. I won't die that easily. Go!"_

_A body suddenly tackled her to the ground._

"…_Riku?"_

"_Shiki…! Get out of here!"_

_A gunshot sounded._

Shiki closed her eyes, clenching her hands into fists by her sides. _'I swore that I will protect them. But I failed them…'_

A hand dropped down onto Shiki's shoulder just then, giving her a slight start, and the redhead turned only to find herself come face-to-face with one Uchiha Itachi who was wearing quite a serious expression on his face.

"Itachi?"

Itachi sighed. "Can we have a word?" he asked seriously. "In private." He added, glancing at the curious looks from the few bystanders around in this part of Hagako.

Shiki raised an eyebrow, but she had a gut feeling that she knew what this is all about. She then inclined her head. "Follow me," she said before the Uchiha followed her, and she then led him into a side alleyway, leaning against the wall whilst Itachi leaned against the opposite wall. "What is it?"

Itachi stared at Shiki for a long time without speaking.

He had rehearsed countless times over and over again what he is going to say, but now that he is facing Shiki herself, he suddenly found himself tongue-tied. He could only stare dumbly at Shiki who had a slightly impatient look on her face.

"Well?" The redhead asked impatiently. "You said that you had something to talk to me about. Start talking."

Itachi sighed inwardly before deciding to go straight to the point. It is always best to be direct and straightforward with Shiki. She had never liked beating around the bush with him, and she would always tell him what she thinks and feels, even if it is something that he wouldn't like to hear. That is what Itachi had liked about her, and what had attracted him to her.

"I shall go straight to the point," said Itachi, his hands clenching into fists in the pockets of his coat. "You're…the leader of Ragnarok, aren't you?"

Shiki closed her eyes briefly before opening them again.

She really shouldn't be surprised, but still, she is. Right from the start, she knew that Itachi will figure it out by himself sooner or later if she continued seeing him. This was only part of the reason why Gaara, Neji and Shino have objected to her seeing him. No matter how careful she is, she knew that only someone who knew one of Ragnarok personally will start to pick up on the little and subtle clues over the years. That is the reason why apart from Iruka and the others who knew about their double lives as Ragnarok members, they do not have any other friends at all. In fact, they didn't need it. After all, they had each other.

"…so you knew?" Shiki muttered, looking at Itachi straight in the eye. "Took you long enough. I was wondering when you would figure it out by yourself."

"Why?" asked Itachi.

"Why what?" asked Shiki. "Why I killed all those people? Why did I found Ragnarok? Why did I do what I did? Why did I go up against the ANBU? One word only. For Justice."

"Justice?"

"My own brand of justice. You didn't grow up like how I did. You don't understand why I did this, and why the other members of Ragnarok did what they did as well," said Shiki darkly. "Our lives could only be described as Hell. Furthermore, if revenge is called Justice, then that Justice breeds yet more revenge, and becomes a chain of hatred."

Itachi was taken aback by the angry torrent of words that spilled from Shiki's lips. And yet, he thinks that he could understand why Shiki had done what she did.

"I've found something in the old records of ANBU about an attack on a street gang in the city of Hagako eight years ago," said Itachi seriously. And if the narrowing of Shiki's eyes is of any indication, then she's far from pleased. "There was a nin-user involved that the ANBU had their eye on, but every recruitment try that they did failed. And after that attack, ANBU agents sent after that nin-user were sent back in body bags when they were just sent back unconscious before. And it wasn't that long after that when the nin-user vanished, and notable nin-users that the ANBU had their eye on in various towns and cities vanished not long after that." Itachi paused and looked at Shiki. "Iruka-san had mentioned once that you had originally come from Hagako. That nin-user from Hagako back then…that was you, wasn't it?"

Shiki nodded silently. "I won't tell you what had happened on that night," she said darkly. "But on that night, nearly ¾ of my old street gang were wiped out. Only five of us survived that night. We all went our separate ways after that. The ANBU abandoned us. If only you ANBU fucktards had turned up earlier, Riku and the others wouldn't have died! If only you had done something earlier so that this country accepted nin-users as one of them, and not as abominations of nature, they wouldn't have died! It is all your fault!"

"It isn't—"

"I've made a decision that night when Riku and the others have died," said Shiki darkly, cutting Itachi off. The Uchiha couldn't find it in himself to look away from Shiki's eyes. Her eyes were burning like two cold pieces of ice. "I swore to them. If I can't break out of this Hell that is this world, then I shall drag everyone down to Hell with me!"

"But there must be some other alternative than killing someone—"

"How naive can you be, Itachi?" Shiki snorted. "Do you seriously think that those…_people _will change their ways? If the ANBU refuses to do their job, then we shall do it for you. You've never changed at all. You were this way four years ago when I've first met you in Cat's Eye, and you still are."

"Eh?"

"My guardian told me something once, and this is something that I've learned during my travels throughout the past years," said Shiki. "In this world, you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." She turned towards Itachi. "Which do you think is the one which I had chosen?"

"I…"

"Face the truth, Itachi. This is our world. Where those who are different are outcasts and treated as abominations of nature, and where those who held power are the dictators."

Itachi was silent. He remembered what he had overheard Shiki saying on the first night which they have spent together as lovers.

_If you knew the truth about me, then your views of everything – the world, me, even the nin-users…will be shattered._

"But why?" Itachi asked, slight desperation in his voice. "Why did you do this?"

A grim smile tilted at the sides of Shiki's lips before fading away again. She turned and took one step out of the alleyway that they are both in before stopping in her tracks and turning her head to look over her shoulder. The afternoon sun illuminated Shiki's figure, and Itachi can't help but think that she painted a very ominous figure right now – almost like the Goddess of the Dead.

"Those who had sinned…do not deserve to live."

**XXXXXX**

_Forbidden Village  
Dark Forest_

Gaara approached Shiki who is sitting at the ledge of the topmost tower in the Forbidden Village…like always. The redhead had her back to him, but Gaara knew that Shiki probably knew that he is already here even before he had set foot in this part of the tower that she is in.

She is their leader for a reason after all.

"Is there anything that you need, Gaara?" asked Shiki without even turning around.

"Yeah," said Gaara, standing right behind Shiki with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "The others and I have been talking. We think…that it is best if we give the ANBU…some warning. A little warning for them to keep off our backs. We've faced them a few times now, and it is only thanks to extreme restraint on our parts that none of the ANBU had died. Maybe if we scare them a little…"

"It won't keep them away, you know?"

"I know. But even if it is just for a little while, it is enough for us."

Shiki sighed before getting to her feet. "Let's go and get Shino," she said. "We have some brainstorming to do."

**XXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters  
Leaf City_

"Itachi, we're leaving."

"Hn."

Nagato and Konan exchanged curious looks before the blue haired female took one step towards Itachi, but was held back by her boyfriend who shook his head. Both then glanced towards the vice-captain of the Akatsuki who gave a brief nod, and the two then left, ready to retire to the dormitories for the night.

Kisame sighed as the door closed behind Nagato and Konan, leaving only him and Itachi in the Akatsuki's office. The shark-like man then walked towards Itachi and rapped lightly on the desk, causing his best friend to look up at him.

"Yes?"

"You'd best be careful with that girl of yours."

"Yes sir. Thank you, sir. You've paid me a personal visit just to tell me that?" asked Itachi irritably, his temper stretching to the limits ever since his last meeting with Shiki two days ago, and then, it is like she had just dropped off the surface of the earth. Itachi knew that Shiki probably didn't want to meet him, not that he can blame her, but still…

Kisame sighed. "Itachi, please do not insult my intelligence," said Kisame, annoyed. "I'm not stupid. You've been disappearing frequently during the past few months to who-knows-where. And Sasuke had told me that day that when he'd phoned you about a week back, he heard the voice of some girl on your side. And along with that girl that you spoke of so often in the past, yet now you hardly mention her. There can only be one reason for that. You don't want attention on her, something which will _definitely _happen if the others know that she is your girlfriend. The only explanation for your sudden silence is that she is a member of the group that we're after, isn't it?"

Itachi sighed. "Their captain actually," he admitted. "And Kisame, I'll appreciate it if you can keep it quiet."

Kisame sighed. "I for one, more than anything, I really hope that Ragnarok will not get themselves caught," he said. He sighed. "Because of my kid sister. I've already found her. I know where she is."

Itachi can only stare. He knew that the only reason why Kisame had joined the ANBU in the first place is because he had been searching for his missing younger half-sister. In fact, the condition that he had set with the ANBU is that his sister is his number one priority, and if he had to choose between the ANBU and his sister, he'll choose his sister.

"Where is she?"

Kisame sighed. "With Ragnarok."

Itachi almost blanched. _"What?"_

"That girl that uses ice…she's my little sister."

Itachi remember that ice maiden, the ice nin-user. She seemed to be highly skilled with her nin-abilities, and now that he thinks of it, he had never seen Kisame actually raise his hand against her or vice-versa. So that's why…

"If we have to face Ragnarok one day, what will you do?" asked Itachi seriously. "Can you raise your hand against your own sister? And if you can't, then what if she has no hesitation in killing you? You know how Ragnarok works. They have no hesitation in them, and they are ruthless to the point of being merciless. You've seen their work countless times in the past. You know what they can do. ANBU and Ragnarok are enemies. You know that."

"I know—"

The ringtone of Itachi's cellphone blared out just then, and the Uchiha immediately reached for his phone that is currently on his table, with the phone moving slightly on the desk because of the vibration as it rang. Itachi raised an eyebrow as the words 'Unknown Caller' appeared on the LCD screen of his cellphone.

He then answered the call. "Moshi moshi?"

There was silence for several moments on the other end of the line before an unfamiliar male voice spoke, and judging from the background sounds on the other end of the line, the caller seemed to be calling from someplace near the beach.

"_Are you Uchiha Itachi?"_

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "That I am," he answered, inviting a curious look from Kisame. "Who is this speaking?"

"_My name is of no importance," _said the voice. _"I'm a member of Ragnarok. I want to meet you."_

Ragnarok?

Itachi's heart skipped a beat when he had heard that word.

"Did…she send you?" asked Itachi carefully.

"_No," _said the voice curtly. _"She has no idea that I'm calling you right now. I think that we need to talk. Man-to-man. I want to see you. In two hours, meet me at the sea docks in the town of Hiraiko. See you." Click._

"Wait—" Itachi started, but the line was cut off before he could even put in a word. He then placed the phone on his table, frowning deeply.

"Who is it?" asked Kisame with concern.

"No one of importance," said Itachi. He then stood up from his seat. "Kisame, I'm heading out for awhile. You should turn in for the night as well. It's been a long day."

Kisame nodded dumbly as he watched Itachi pulled on his coat and left the office.

**

* * *

**Meanwhile in the office of the ANBU commander, Senju Tsunade was about to turn in for the night when a dagger from out of nowhere flew in through the opened window and landed onto her desk, with a slip of paper tied around the handle.

Tsunade stared at the dagger for several moments before untying the paper around the dagger and read it to herself.

'_If you want to know more about Ragnarok, send your best teams to the mentioned place two days from now at 08:00pm._

_-T'_

An address was also scribbled on the piece of paper.

**XXXXXX**

_Two Hours Later  
Hiraiko_

Itachi stepped onto the sea docks of Hiraiko before he frowned, as no one was around.

"I'm glad to see that you've came alone," said a voice, and Itachi spun around immediately only to see a raven-haired teen wearing a white long sleeved shirt with black jeans approaching him. And this stranger also had the strangest eyes.

"You…" Itachi frowned. He knew that he had seen this guy before. "Didn't we meet before during the data disk mission?"

"You've got a good memory," said the teen. "I'm Hyuuga Neji. I know who you are, Uchiha Itachi." He then narrowed his eyes. "And I _hope_ that Shiki is right about you, and that we can trust you to know the identities of certain members of our group, or I swear that I'll kill you right now. The only reason why you are safe and not lying in a pine box is because of Shiki's insistence, and that only three of us knew about your relationship with Shiki. If we let some of the others know about you, you won't last the week. As unlike us, they detested the ANBU to the point of killing one on sight."

"What is it that you want with me?"

"I want to talk about Shiki," said Neji, and his eyes narrowed. "I doubt that she knew this, as it took her some time to admit her feelings for you, though it isn't surprising, considering the fact that you are the captain of the group that are our enemies." Itachi winced. "I'll go straight to the point. I like Shiki. And I'm going to fight you for her."

Itachi glared at Neji, a flare of jealously rising up in him.

He should have known that Shiki will have admirers, but with everything that had happened lately, that little fact had slipped his mind. And to make things worse, this guy is in Shiki's inner circle, and could be with her nearly twenty-four hours per day, whilst he could only see her maybe once or twice a week…_if _he's lucky. But after his revelation to Shiki, he hadn't seen her for nearly a week, and he had a feeling that the redhead is trying to avoid him.

"I won't let you." Itachi hissed.

"And what can you do?" asked Neji with a smirk. He knew that he is riling Itachi up, judging by that smirk on his face, and he didn't even seem to care that this guy is the captain of the ANBU's strongest team. "You and Shiki have to keep your relationship under wraps, and I don't think that I have to tell you that even among those in Ragnarok who knew about you, we disapprove of you. We only held our tongues as we knew that Shiki will be hurt if anything happens to you. Besides, you have to consider the idea that I might be better for her than you are. You are ANBU. We are Ragnarok. We are _enemies."_

**XXXXXX**

_Two Days Later  
Unknown Location_

Temari sighed as she turned her head to look at Neji who was squatting down beside her, a pair of binoculars trained to his eyes. Both of them were perched atop one of the rafters in wherever that they are. This place actually used to be a very old history museum before the war, and was closed down after that. This was also actually Ragnarok's first hideout during a time when they were staying low after Tenten had just joined them.

Temari then sighed. "Neji, are you sure that this is a good idea?" she asked hesitantly. "I see the logic in Shino and Gaara's words, but still, it is best not to rile the ANBU up any more than we already had. Those guys are not to be trifled with…even for us."

"Well, if it's Shiki, it'll be alright," said Neji, not removing his binoculars from his eyes. "Furthermore, I agree with her. Let the ANBU learn the hard way of what it means to piss off the infamous Namikaze Shiki, the former leader of Hagako's most feared gang, and the current leader of Ragnarok."

Temari sighed. "I just have one last question then," she said.

"And that is?"

"_Why the hell are we on a __**rafter**__ of all places?"_

**

* * *

**A butterfly fluttered down and landed on Shino's finger before the insect user twitched and turned towards Shiki and Yugito who were both beside him. All three were on the rooftop of their old hideout, a place that was originally an old history museum.

"They're here," he said simply.

Shiki nodded. "Let the game begin."

Shino nodded before leaping down from the rooftop, and Shiki glanced at Yugito. "Yugito, do your stuff."

"I know," said Yugito before she placed one hand onto the rooftop and concentrated. Like Tenten, she has power over illusions, but whilst Tenten's illusions only fooled the eyes, Yugito can make her illusions seem real.

"Let's go."

**

* * *

**The members of Akatsuki and Rendoku blinked as they entered the building, wondering if they have came to the wrong place.

"A…museum?" Deidara muttered, looking left and right.

"Wait, something's not quite right," said Konan with a frown.

The next moment, every single ANBU present felt as if the ground beneath them was swaying, and the entire museum soon took on the look of what seemed to be a fairly elaborate maze. What seemed to be a small museum earlier had now taken on the look of what seemed to be a labyrinth, with identical doors everywhere, with the walls being built in a haphazard manner.

"_Let's play a game, people from the ANBU," _said a voice that seemed to echo everywhere.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

"_Now where's the fun in that?" _said the voice with amusement. _"You want to know about us so bad, then work for it. This used to be our old hideout. We hid here once. Back when it is pure agony just for us to live. You wanted to know why we are doing this, then let's play a game. If you can reach the 'main room' of this place, then you'll soon know the reason why we are doing this. You guys have chased after us for four years. You wanted us so bad. Then let's see you try to face the power of one of us…the power which we used to deal with our victims."_

"It's Ragnarok." Sasuke hissed. "Not that I should really be surprised."

"What should we do, Itachi?" asked Kisame, turning towards his best friend.

Itachi frowned. "Let's split up into pairs, apart from me and Sasuke," he said. "Do all of you have your communicators on?" Everyone nodded. "Alright. Let's keep in contact via our communicators. Let's go."

**

* * *

**Itachi was heading through an extremely dark hallway which reminds Itachi of some ghost movie, with his gun in one hand, with a flashlight in the other, when there was a cackling through his communicator, and he placed two fingers against it. "What is it?"

"_It's Nagato and Konan," _said Nagato's voice. _"We found some papers and data disks in a room. Those were backup reports of Ragnarok's targets – those that we already knew of."_

Itachi frowned. "Backup reports?"

"_Yeah," _said Nagato grimly. _"And make no mistake, this is indeed Ragnarok's hideout, or maybe a fairly old one, not that I think they are lying anyway. They must have lured us here for a reason. This __**is **__Ragnarok that we're talking about after all."_

Itachi frowned as Nagato cut off his connection with Itachi. _'What are you planning, Shiki?'_

**

* * *

**_With Sasuke_

Sasuke's eyes were darting here and there cautiously as he held his gun with one hand, the other holding a flashlight, lighting the way up properly as he walked through the dark hallway. This is getting ridiculous. This was starting to remind him of a horror movie that he had watched once when he was little with his brother before they have both entered the ANBU.

What was that movie's name again? Friday the Thirteenth or something like that…

_Chink._

"What is that?" muttered Sasuke, looking left and right immediately, shining his flashlight around the dark hallway, causing the light to bounce from one end to the other.

"_Sasuke? Are you alright?" _asked Shikamaru with concern, his voice blaring through the communicator in Sasuke's ear.

"I'm fine," answered Sasuke, still looking around the hallway. "I thought that I heard something—_Yaah!"_

Sasuke blinked twice before realising that he had been frightened by his own reflection in the body-length mirror before him. Oh kami. He would never live it down if his comrades ever found out about it.

"_Oi, Sasuke! Are you okay?" _Kiba's voice sounded this time, sounding worried.

"Yeah."

"_Then why are you screaming?"_

Sasuke blushed lightly. He would never live it down if Kiba knew that he had been frightened by his own reflection in a mirror. "I…er…thought that I saw someone."

"'_Thought'?" _Shikamaru sounded incredulous.

"Gah! Fine! I got frightened by my own reflection in a mirror, alright?" snapped Sasuke.

Almost immediately, guffaws could be heard through his communicator, and Sasuke scowled. "Oi! Stop laughing!"

"_You got frightened by your own reflection?" _His brother's voice came through, sounding a tad bit amused. _"You've been watching too many horror movies, little brother."_

"Shut up!"

Sasuke's foot slipped on something just then, and he nearly fell before he managed to steady himself and shone the flashlight downwards to see what he's just slipped on. "Erm…aniki?"

"_Yeah?"_

"It's summer now, right?" said Sasuke, still staring at whatever had quirked his interest.

"_Yeah. Why?"_

"Then why do I see a trail of snow and ice in the hallway that I'm in right now?"

Silence.

"…_excuse me?"_

"I'm serious," said Sasuke, still staring at the ice and snow in the hallway that he's in. "Ice and snow…quite a trail of it, in fact. It leads somewhere."

"_Sasuke. Stay where you are," _ordered his brother. _"Everyone. Locate Sasuke on your transceivers and head to where he is now."_

"_Hai."_

"_Roger."_

"_Gotcha."_

**

* * *

**Ten minutes later, all members of team Akatsuki and team Rendoku were gathered in the narrow hallway where Sasuke was. Itachi was kneeling down by the trail of ice and snow that Sasuke saw, examining it carefully.

"Very odd," he muttered. "It is ice and snow indeed. Yet it doesn't seem to melt at all."

"Where does it lead to?" voiced out Konan.

"To our target, I presume," said Sasuke. "But why do I smell a trap here?"

"Maybe because it is one?" muttered Ino.

Itachi then sighed before getting up from the ground. "Alright, change of plans," he said, turning towards his comrades. "We're splitting into groups of three. Sasuke and Kisame, you're both with me. You guys can decide among yourself whom you want to be paired with. Then we're going to have to explore each room in this labyrinth."

**

* * *

**After about half-an-hour of exploring, Itachi, Kisame and Sasuke soon found themselves back at where they have started where stood a giant bone sculpture in the skeletal form of a dinosaur which must have lived several thousands of years ago.

"Was this place this big when we've seen it from the outside?" Sasuke asked with a frown. He definitely didn't remember it being this big.

"Okay, calm down. This must be part of Ragnarok's plot," said Itachi. He sighed. "This is Shikamaru's forte. If it is that guy, he is bound to have a plan." He then fumbled about in his pack before bringing out a ball of red thread. "But first, let's keep track of where we've first started." He said, tying the end of the thread onto a pole. He then handed the ball of thread to Kisame. "Kisame, you hold it."

"Why do _I _have to hold it?" asked Kisame irritably, but Itachi and Sasuke both ignored him.

"Well, let's just keep going straight." Sasuke suggested, and Itachi and Kisame both nodded before following him out of the room that they were in.

They were walking for what seemed to be that for hours, with Itachi leading the way, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks and backtracked.

"What, Itachi?" asked Kisame, about to rush ahead when Itachi grabbed his arm.

"Don't go any further! Look at your feet!"

"Feet?" Sasuke blinked, and he nearly paled when he saw that the entire pathway in front of them have disappeared, forming what seemed to be a bottomless abyss.

There was a cackle in the communicator of everyone present just then, and Itachi tapped his communicator. "What is it?"

"_This is Nagato," _said Nagato. _"I'm afraid to say that we probably won't be able to continue any further. There seems to be some sort of hallucination gas in the room that we were in earlier, and Lee inhaled some of it. I had to knock him out to prevent him from attacking Konan. She's now trying to treat him."_

"I understand," said Itachi. "Once he wakes up, just stay where you are. We're having some trouble on our side as well."

"_Roger."_

"This is getting ridiculous," said Sasuke with a sigh. "Considering the size of the building when we've seen it from the outside earlier, it definitely couldn't make an infinite loop like this. This is probably one of their powers."

Kisame narrowed his eyes when he laid his eyes on something just then. He looked at the ball of thread in his hands to whatever that had caught his eye, and then to the ball of thread in his hands once more. "Guys, take a look at that."

"Hmm?"

Itachi and Sasuke both turned only to have their eyes widening when they saw the red thread tied to the end of the pole not too far away from where they were standing. All three of them instantly ran to the pole as Itachi untied the string, furrowing his brow as he tried to make sense of things.

There must be some kind of logical explanation for this. Nin-user or not, even nin-users are human.

There must be some kind of explanation.

"Kisame, can you tie one of your shoes to the end of the ball of the string that you're holding?" asked Itachi.

Kisame blinked in confusion, but did as he was told.

"What are you up to, aniki?" asked Sasuke with curiosity, but Itachi ignored him.

The elder Uchiha then pulled on the string, and the shoe practically flew out of Kisame's hands and off towards the right as Itachi pulled harder on the string, only to gasp and ducked as the shoe came flying back to them. Sasuke was much more alert and ducked beneath the flying shoe, but Kisame was not so, and ended up having his shoe smacking him in the face, leaving a shoe print on his face.

"Ow!"

"What the—?" Itachi muttered, looking from left to right, his brow furrowing together.

Sasuke gasped, having put together the pieces of what his brother was thinking. "It's a Moebius Ring, isn't it, aniki?" he stated more than asked. "The space in this labyrinth is deformed and connected. That's why it seemed like it was never ending. And why we have never met any of the others yet, apart from the communication that we've received from them occasionally via our communicators."

Kisame frowned, rubbing his nose. "And this means that we've practically been going around in circles in the same place all the time," he concluded, and Sasuke nodded.

Itachi frowned to himself as he turned his head to stare at the room to their left, his brows furrowed together, a frown on his face. _'What the hell? They can do something like that? Illusions are one thing, but they are actually good enough to put together such a realistic illusion like this? No, there must be something further than that.'_

Kisame tapped on Itachi's shoulder. "Itachi? What is it?"

Itachi didn't answer, but merely reached into his pocket and drew out a notepad and a pen from his coat pocket. He then squatted down onto the ground silently, with both Kisame and Sasuke mimicking his actions, utter confusion visible on both their faces.

'_Let's see here… There seems to be some looping space here. Along with this weird sensation that I've been getting ever since we've first stepped foot in this place. And not to mention that we hadn't seen any of the others so far despite being in the same place. And there are also some rooms that are set with traps. What could this all mean?' _Itachi pondered. A sudden realisation struck him just then, and his eyes widened.

"It's that simple?" Itachi spluttered, and Sasuke and Kisame both looked at him.

"What is?"

Itachi placed the notepad down on the ground. "I've figured out the answer to this riddle," he said. "Just don't read it out loud." He warned, and the other two looked down at the notepad to read what Itachi had written only to have both their eyes widening.

"It's that simple?" Kisame spluttered. "That's just it?"

Sasuke looked worried though. "What if it is just another trap?" he asked with concern.

"I think I'll be fine," said Itachi confidently. "Have some faith in your big brother, Sasuke." He poked Sasuke in the forehead, much to his disgruntlement. He then glanced at the room in front of them before looking at the two with him. "Come on."

Itachi suddenly took off sprinting across the room with the other two following him behind. The moment that he entered the room, Itachi closed his eyes and continued running. He could only hear Sasuke suddenly screaming for his brother.

"Aniki! The path—"

"Itachi!"

Itachi simply ignored them and continued running with his eyes shut. And behind him, Kisame and Sasuke's eyes became goldfish eyes as they saw Itachi running on midair. The elder Uchiha opened his eyes as he continued running, glancing down at his feet occasionally only to see that he was seemingly running on midair above an endless abyss.

'_I was right!' _He thought, still running with the other two behind him, only stopping when he came to the end of the path, with Kisame and Sasuke stopping by his sides.

Itachi felt that same weird sensation from earlier just then, and the entire room warped before returning to that of the old history museum, only covered with layers of dust, with the remaining ANBU members present, all with looks of astonishment visible on their faces. There was also a lone coffee table in front of them, with a lime-green book sitting on it.

"_Congratulations," _said the voice from earlier just then. _"You've figured it out."_

Itachi smirked. "It wasn't that difficult to figure it out really," he said. "This is like a child's game. The moment that I tried writing it down, I understood immediately. There were three by three for a total of nine rooms. They were just infinitely looped – like a Moebius Ring. And coupled in with whatever illusion that you've casted on here is the reason why we've never seen any of the others. They are still there, it's just that we can't see them." Kisame and Sasuke nodded. "The traps are also all hallucinations – like the one that Nagato's team had gone through, and the one that we've gone through."

"_Well done. You sure live up to your name, Uchiha Itachi."_

"Now tell us!" Deidara shouted. "Who are you?"

"_Touch the book in front of you, and you'll soon understand. Why did we do what we did? And from there, try to figure it out for yourself. It'll be a game between us both. Who will win? The ANBU or Ragnarok? We'll soon know."_

"Book?" Itachi uttered before his gaze fell on the green book in front of him. "Is this it?" He took one step forwards before Sasuke held him back, worry on his face. "We won't know what is going on as well if we don't touch it." Itachi explained to his younger brother. "Don't worry, I'll be alright."

Sasuke bit on his lip before nodding, and Itachi took one step forwards and touched the book. The next moment, there was a bright flash of light, and the minds of every single Akatsuki and Rendoku member present in the old museum were immediately flooded with memories that isn't theirs.

"…_those bastards didn't come."_

"_The day that I call the ANBU for help is the day that the sun rises from the west."_

"_I need a favour, -----."_

"…_Run!"_

"_You killed my people, so I think that it's wise if both my people and your own comrades killed you with their own hands! I'm not known as the 'Death Animator' among my own gang for nothing!"_

"_All of us are wanted by the ANBU just because we're nin-users. Granted, they've assumed that most, if not all of us are dead, but still… If we stay too long at any place…the ANBU will be after us again."_

"…_that guy…why did he act that way?"_

"…_you've got the eyes of someone drenched in cold rain."_

"_I hate them. The ANBU."_

"_We're going to save that girl."_

"…_would you like to come along?"_

Itachi stumbled backwards, his eyes wide at that sudden onslaught of memories. "W-What is that?" he gasped. "M-Memories?"

"They are all nin-users…" Sasuke muttered, his eyes wide with horror at what they've just seen. "I know that we've suspected that, but… What they've seen and gone through…it is something that _no one_ should ever go through! Not even _we _have seen something like that!"

"If all nin-users in the world have seen or undergo something like that, then I'm starting to think that Ragnarok has the right idea after all…" Ino muttered, feeling rather sick all of a sudden.

"Now you understand," said the same voice from earlier. But this time, it came from right behind them.

As one, all ANBU agents present turned only to see the Ragnarok member that uses ice leaning against the doorframe of the entrance behind them, her arms crossed over her chest. Kisame's expression changed completely, and he bit on his bottom lip.

'_Haku…'_

Itachi glanced at his best friend worriedly before turning towards Haku. "Can't we come to a compromise or something?" he asked. "We don't have to fight."

"Sure. We can do that if the ANBU agrees to make sure that the injustice that every single person in this world had suffered from, nin-user or not, had been answered for."

"T-That is impossible! Even if we can manage to arrest every criminal in the world, without evidence, there is nothing that we can do!" Konan protested.

"Then you have our answer," said Haku sharply. "We will never stop our work. Not when there is still one person out there who needs our help." She then gave a wave. "Till we meet again."

The doors then slammed shut behind her.

"Wait! Haku!" Kisame shouted before he took off after his younger sister, almost tearing the doors off its hinges with desperation.

"Oi! Kisame!"

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Sea_

Shiki laid on her back on the rooftop of the boathouse with her arms behind her head as Tenten steered the boathouse to return to the Forbidden Village. It had been decided that this will be the last night that they will spend in the village of the nin-users before they'll return to their travelling days on the sea.

There is a mini party between all of Ragnarok earlier, and Shiki is pretty sure that they are still at it, especially since sake and beer was involved.

The night skies are clear tonight without any sign of rain, and the night skies are dotted with millions of glittery silver stars. Shiki recognised several of the star constellations in the sky, as it is kind of a hobby of hers to look at the skies at night.

"That's the Sirius star." Shiki muttered to herself. She then sighed. "What are you going to do next, Itachi?"

**XXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters  
Leaf City_

Itachi was staring at his computer screen without taking his eyes off of it, with the internet browser opened to that of the internet chat forum – Midnight Sun, which he always goes to chat with Shiki, not that the girl had realised it.

He was the only one present in the office as the rest of his teammates have all decided to retire for the night. It was decided between Akatsuki and Rendoku that they would keep what they've seen of Ragnarok's memories to themselves. Itachi had merely reported to Tsunade that there is nothing of significance to report which is true in a way.

Kisame had been extremely tight lipped on the topic of Haku when his teammates have asked him about that ice maiden when Kisame had actually chased after her, and had been gone for nearly five hours before returning to ANBU headquarters. His teammates didn't ask any further when it is obvious that Kisame didn't want to talk about it.

The shark-like man walked into the office just then, seeming to have forgotten something, and he raised a brow when he saw Itachi staring at the computer screen before he sighed. "I don't get it," he said, moving over to his desk. "If you really love her, why don't you just tell her that the one who had been encouraging her all this time is you?"

Itachi closed his eyes briefly before opening them again as Kisame finally found his cellphone on his desk, being buried beneath a mountain of folders and papers before slipping it into his pocket. "It's complicated." Itachi admitted.

"That doesn't answer anything, Itachi," said Kisame before he left the office, knowing that Itachi wanted to be left alone.

Itachi sighed, rubbing his temples together.

_Twila._

_Huh?_

_You refused to tell me your name, so I shall give you one. I can't keep calling you 'you' all the time, can I? Besides, I think Twila meant 'justice' in Latin, and it meant 'freedom' in another language as well, I think. It kind of suits you anyway._

_You're persistent._

_Would you like to hear me play?_

_Can you even play the guitar?_

Itachi sighed. _'Shiki…' _he thought to himself. _'I want to see you. Where are you?'_

He glanced hopefully at his computer screen once more, and just like the past several times when he had looked at his screen, he was sorely disappointed. The icon that showed if the person is online or not is currently greyed-out, indicating that Aurora, the handle name that Shiki is using, is currently offline.

But still, Itachi didn't give up.

He waited.

He's good for waiting, after all.

* * *

_A/N: One of my longest chapters this time around, I do believe. A little angtsy, so my apologies for that. _

_Also, on a side note, I need some help. There is a story that I had been searching for quite some time now. It is a story where instead of Naruto being placed on Team 7, he is taken on by the Third Hokage as an apprentice during the naming of the genin teams, and a few chapters down the road, he then found out that Tsunade is his mother. It is a Naruto/Tenten pairing, I do believe. If you know the link of this story, can you __**please **__let me know? I've been searching for this story for __**months!**_

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

_**Preview of next chapter: Tragedy**_

"_ANBU is going to take a more active stand against us from now on."_

"_You can't beat them on the sea."_

"_If I can die to ensure Ragnarok's safety and survival, so be it."_

"_I promise you that we'll someday have our revenge."_

"_I swear to the heavens that had given me only Hell, that someday, I shall have my revenge!"_

_

* * *

__**Upcoming Stories:**_

_**Switch (Naruto)**_

_AU FemNaru. What if the original Team 7 are the Sannins, and the original Sannins are Team 7? In an alternate universe where the Fourth is alive, and Sasuke is the one who had betrayed Konoha, Sakura being the one to leave the village and Hikari being the last Sannin to serve Konoha faithfully, what would life be like for them?_

_**Keyblade of Darkness (Naruto)**_

_AU FemNaru. When the ninja world had fallen, Namikaze Shiki soon found herself in Traverse Town where she ended up assisting Leon and his friends with the Heartless, and later on, joining the Keyblade Master, Sora, on his journey to close the Keyholes, in search for the very person who is responsible for destroying her world – Uchiha Madara._

_**Of Magic and Spirits (Harry Potter)**_

_AU FemHarry. Remus defied against Dumbledore's wishes by calling his old friend, Ryuuken Ishida, and asking him to take care of his best friend's daughter by raising one Hilda Potter as Uryuu Ishida's younger twin sister. Bleach/HP crossover_

_**Darkest Before the Dawn (Harry Potter)**_

_FemHarry. After the war, Hilda Potter was betrayed by the very side that she was fighting for and was nearly killed by the people who was her once comrades. With help from Hermione and Ron, she fled to America along with Draco and Luna where they resided in the rainy town of Forks. Twilight/HP crossover_

_**Silent Symphony (Harry Potter)**_

_FemHarry. When Rowena Ravenclaw witnessed for herself just how the wizarding world was led to doom because of the actions of one Albus Dumbledore which lead to the birth of Lord Voldemort, she forced herself through a cycle of reincarnation and became Hilda Potter. Watch out, world. Rowena Ravenclaw is back. And she isn't happy. Cedric/FemHarry_

_**Blue Moon (Prince of Tennis)**_

_FemRyo. Echizen Rika and Yukimura Seiichi are the former leaders of squad Zero – the highest ranks that a shinigami could reach – who had deserted their home and had discarded their lives as shinigamis when everything that Soul Society and the King had done goes against what they had stood for. Now, nearly five hundred years later, the two were the leaders of the Vizards, and when Soul Society got wind of their existences, the two of them, along with the Vizards, have to take up arms once more to defend their homes as well as the friends that they've made in Phoenix Star Academy. Prince of Tennis/Bleach crossover_

_**Silence, the Loudest Sound**_

_All of Rikkaidai Fuzoku, the boys' tennis team especially were excited when they heard that the famous Princess of Tennis would be coming to their school and joining the boys' tennis team after having disappeared from the professional tennis scene for six months. But what Rikkaidai and everyone didn't know is that the Princess of Tennis can't speak. FemRyo_


	18. Tragedy

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: Tragedy**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Nirako_

"—_and with that, that concludes the official message from the ANBU. This is reporter, Yukihira—"_

"What the hell?" Kankuro shouted, his fingers clenched around the portable television that all of Ragnarok were currently gathered around, listening to the supposed 'important message' that the ANBU commander had spoken.

Gaara calmly pried his brother's fingers from the portable television, not wanting him to break it.

Shiki said nothing, but her mind was running almost a hundred miles per minute as she tried to make sense of the supposed 'speech' that the ANBU commander had given in regards to Ragnarok.

Apparently, Senju Tsunade had gotten a little tired of the way that Ragnarok had been showing up the ANBU every single time, and despite investigating for four years, they have never gotten so much as a lead on them, and whatever leads that they have proved to be next to useless. Thus the little 'speech' at the press conference that the ANBU had held earlier.

Shiki sighed. She knew what is going on now. "ANBU is going to take a more active stand against us from now on."

**XXXXXX**

Need I spell 'disaster' for you?

D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R.

It was pure disaster.

For the ANBU at least.

The little press conference that the ANBU had held made the headlines of newspapers all over Japan for a week, and the several different newspapers out there have different views on it. Some of the newspapers – those that are more under the ANBU's control have openly supported the ANBU, and had said some pretty supporting stuff. But some of those independent newspapers, particularly those newspapers from smaller towns and cities, have mocked the ANBU, saying something about the entire ANBU forces of 638 were outwitted by a group of teenagers barely old enough to shave.

Senju Tsunade was in a pretty bad mood for the past week as well, and had pretty much wrecked her own desk, as her own superior – the ANBU Chief, had yelled down the phone at her for an hour, saying something about being stupid enough to go up against Ragnarok. As it is, the ANBU had been pretty lucky so far that Ragnarok didn't do anything against them save for hurting them in the pride. But if ANBU continued going the way that they are going, and openly waging war against Ragnarok, it wouldn't be long before Twila and Ragnarok lose patience and fight back.

A certain Uchiha Itachi however, was worrying his teammates.

In the usual way, the older Uchiha was quiet and only speaks if necessary. But after their little trip to the museum-turned-maze when they've gotten a deeper insight into Ragnarok – not that any of them have said anything about it, anyone would have mistaken Itachi to be mute, as he hardly ever opens his mouth after that.

Hoshigaki Kisame is the only one who understood why Itachi is acting that way, but he had said nothing, as he is almost like a carbon copy of Itachi that week as well…for the 'silent treatment' that is.

The truth is, Itachi was worried.

He knew, and he is pretty sure that Shiki knew this as well, but after that press conference thingy by the ANBU, regardless of the orders of the ANBU Chief, Tsunade would want Ragnarok caught. And sooner or later, Ragnarok and ANBU would meet on the battlefield.

No one in the ANBU apart from Kisame knew about Itachi's relationship with Shiki, but he knew that it is only a matter of time before they found out.

Itachi sighed as he flipped over another page of the report currently in front of him.

He is currently in his team's office, reading through all the reports filed by his subordinates of the angry complaints and protests made by supporters of Ragnarok, and the internet forums of the Internet were already full of debates and angry protests by Ragnarok's supporters. Itachi is pretty sure that his brother is probably in the same state that he is in as well, since he had heard from Nara Shikamaru of Rendoku that Sasuke hadn't left his office for the past week even for meals, and one of team Rendoku had to actually bring up food for their captain, or he'll starve.

"Itachi?"

Itachi looked up from the report that he is reading only to see Konan standing at the opened doorway of the office, reading a red note in her hands, and the Uchiha narrowed his eyes. The ANBUs have different coloured coded papers for emergency summons or even just plain message notes. A yellow note is an ordinary message; blue is a mission summons for the entire team; green is a meeting summon; and red is of first priority emergency.

"What is it?" asked Itachi. He can't help but feel extremely uneasy. The foreboding look on Konan's face isn't helping matters as well.

Konan bit on her lower lip before turning around to face her teammates – all who have stopped whatever they were doing to stare at her. "We got a first priority order from Tsunade-sama," she said slowly, almost like it would seem less foreboding if she did that. "We have Intel that one of those whom we have run into on that data disk mission has been spotted along the seaside of Nirako. He boarded a speedboat with some unknowns, though they are also suspected to be Ragnarok members, and they are now on the seawaters between Nirako and Nakawa. Our orders from Tsunade-sama are to go after them immediately, and to capture them alive. If it is not possible…" Konan bit on her lower lip. "…eliminate them."

There was deadly silence, with so much silence so that one could almost hear a pin drop.

Kisame made the first move by standing up from his chair, both his hands on the desk before him, looking down at his desk with a strange look on his face. "It's impossible," he said, and every single Akatsuki turned towards him. Kisame then looked at his teammates. "You can't beat them on the sea. The water is their turf. It's their home. It's their home ground."

Sasori sighed and exchanged looks with Deidara who shrugged. "We don't have a choice in this matter," he said. "I don't want to go after Ragnarok as well after what we've found out about them, but we don't have a choice. If we don't go after them and defy a direct order, we'll be executed as traitors. That is the law of the ANBU. All of us knew that when we've first joined."

Everyone was silent; they knew that Sasori is right.

An ANBU agent can never defy the ANBU commander or the ANBU Chief without dire repercussions. The word of the two leaders of the ANBU organisation is law. Even defying a direct order is considered treason on their parts, and they'll be treated as traitors to be executed.

That is the law of the ANBU.

"Itachi?" Nagato voiced out, turning towards Itachi who had a pain-filled expression on his face.

Itachi closed his eyes. _'Forgive me, Shiki.' _He then opened his eyes and stood up. "Get ready to move out in ten minutes."

**XXXXXX**

_Hagako  
Japan_

"It's rare to see you here alone without those guys," said Sumaru as he leaned against the wall of what was once their hideout a long time ago. "So what's up?"

Shiki managed a small smile at Sumaru before turning her gaze towards the can of liquor in her right hand. Sumaru had a similar one in his own hand. "Nothing much," she said. "I just want someplace to be where I can be alone for a few hours. The others are probably off goofing around somewhere. Neji and a few of the others were saying something about getting one of the speedboats to goof off somewhere. Heavens knows that they need to unwind. Everything has been so hectic lately."

"I see," said Sumaru, nodding to himself.

"_Kiss me sweet… I'm sleeping in silence… All alone…in ice and snow…"_

Shiki pulled out her cellphone just then as the ringtone blared out, and she can only stare at the name that had appeared on the LCD screen that read: _Itachi._

Sumaru glanced at Shiki curiously. "Aren't you going to answer it?" he asked.

Shiki closed her eyes before pressing on the 'end call' button, before she turned off her cellphone and slipped it into her pocket. "Not this time," she said. "But…" The wind that had been circulating from when she had first met Sumaru started to pick up, and she frowned as she looked towards the sun, shielding her eyes from the glare. "I don't like the feeling of this wind."

Shiki frowned. _'It feels almost ominous. Like something bad is about to happen…'_

**

* * *

**_Docks of ANBU Headquarters  
Leaf City_

"How is it?" asked Kisame with concern as Deidara, Sasori, Nagato and Konan prepared the speedboats for the chase after Ragnarok.

Itachi looked at the LCD screen of his cellphone and pressed the 'end call' button, shaking his head. "It's no good. She's not answering. And now, she's turned her cellphone off," he said. He sighed. "Why must she do this at a time like this?"

"You can't blame her," said Kisame.

"Itachi! Kisame! We're ready."

Kisame and Itachi exchanged looks before shrugging and sighed.

Commence mission.

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Nirako_

"They're taking too long," said Temari with a frown, turning towards her brother, Yugito and Shino – the only three who were still in the boathouse alongside her. "Didn't they say that they'll only be gone for a few hours?"

"Let them be, Temari," said Gaara, his nose in some book. "It isn't often that we can get a break like this."

Temari sighed.

**XXXXXX**

_Sea between Nirako and Nakawa  
Japan_

"Kankuro! Speed the hell up, you fucking idiot!"

"What the hell do you think that I'm trying to do here, Hyuuga?" Kankuro snapped back at Neji as he was pressing on the accelerator of the speedboat with all his might, the waves thrown back by the speed of their boat almost ten feet high because of the speed that they are going. "Damn!" He glanced over his shoulder at the two ANBU speedboats that were gaining speed on them. "How the hell did the ANBU find us?"

Not one of the five that have chosen that day to go for a light spin on one of their speedboats – Haku, Hinata, Neji, Kankuro and Tenten, have even anticipated that they'll end up getting chased by the ANBU on the sea that day! Tenten, Hinata and Haku who were the only three among them who have long ranged techniques were rapidly firing off fire, ice and water blasts at the ANBU speedboats. But it wasn't easy, as those speedboats have rapid manoeuvrability, enough to be compared with their own speedboat which had undergone extreme changes beneath Shiki's hands.

"More importantly, we got to lose them!"

"It's easier said than done, Neji!" Tenten shouted back, still rapidly firing off fireballs at the two speedboats, only succeeding in creating steam as the fireballs impacted with the waves. "But more importantly, we can't let them corner us from both sides! We'll be dead meat that way!"

"Thank goodness that Shiki isn't around today, or things will get troublesome!" said Hinata.

"Yeah, but we have to think up of a plan fast!" Haku agreed. "Granted, none of those ANBU guys have long ranged techniques that work well on the water, but if we can't hit them with _ours, _we'll only be wasting our strength!"

"Can't you and Hinata both use level five of your powers?" asked Tenten irritably. _'Great, I'm running out of steam. Fire is the most difficult power to manipulate.'_

"It's not as easy as you think!" Haku snapped as Kankuro made a sharp turn, almost throwing the three girls overboard as they were all standing on the tail of the boat. "If Hinata and I use at least fifty percent of our power in this situation, we run a risk of killing all of you by mistake! There's a reason why Shiki restricted all of us from going beyond level four! Our powers are too powerful! We can't control it all!"

Neji growled low in his throat, looking over at the pursuing ANBUs. "What should we do? We've gotten a bad match up here! It's true that the water is our turf, as we've practically lived on it all our lives! But now…! If it's Yugito, Temari, Shiki or Shino, they might be able to do something with their powers! But as it is—!"

Kankuro frowned as he looked over his shoulder. He then made his decision. "Tenten, switch with me," he said, before he grabbed the surprised girl by her shoulder and almost threw her in the seat that he had been occupying moments prior. He then turned towards the two ANBU speedboats still pursuing them. "Haku, can you coat some non-melting ice on my shoes so that I can stand on the water with no problem? I'll deal with them."

"Huh?"

"Kankuro, your power is different from Gaara's! You—"

"I came prepared." Kankuro interrupted Neji, pulling his jacket apart to show his friends that he had two pouches on either side of his waist, and both pouches were almost bulging. "There are packs of special clay and sand within those pouches. I know the weakness of my power, that's why I always carried packs of these with me in case I came across a situation in which I could not manipulate any earth or sand – like now." He glanced at his comrades. "I'll draw away their attention. You guys get away. I'll meet up with you later."

"It's too dangerous!" Haku protested, having finished creating a coat of ice around both of Kankuro's shoes and standing up. "At least let me stay with you! My power is the worst possible outcome for them in a close ranged battle on the sea!"

"…fine."

"I object to it," said Neji with a frown. "It's too dangerous! We _don't_ leave our comrades behind!"

"…Neji." Kankuro interrupted, turning towards the teen. "Whenever Shiki isn't around, you and Gaara both are the second-in-commands. I respect that. But just this once, let me do it. Among all of us, my power is the weakest. At least let me do this. I can't let them have any other intelligence on your powers."

"But…!"

"You told me that you liked Shiki," said Kankuro. "If you truly loved her, do this for her. We can't let the ANBU get their hands on her. As a member of Ragnarok, and as one of our second-in-commands, you have to make decisions like this sometimes. Please. Go."

"Neji, I'll guard his back." Haku interrupted. "We'll meet up with you later. Go!"

"Fine," said Neji, finally giving in. "Just…don't die, the both of you!"

"Roger."

Haku and Kankuro then leapt out of the boat and stood on the seawaters – with ice coating their shoes, they were able to remain standing on the water as the speedboat sped away. Kankuro raised an eyebrow as the ANBU speedboats came closer, and he then turned towards Haku.

"Haku."

"Roger."

Haku then slammed both of her hands down onto the water, and the temperature suddenly dropped severely, and giant ice walls suddenly formed behind them, almost reaching to the skies. And so, the route after Neji, Hinata and Tenten was then cut off. The sudden drop in temperature had also affected the skies, as dark clouds were converging, and a thin layer of ice had suddenly formed over the sea, forcing the ANBUs speedboats to stop in their tracks.

"That should be able to buy them some time," said Haku, exchanging glances with Kankuro as the ANBU members jumped down from their speedboats, and both recognised those ANBU members as members of the Akatsuki immediately. "Now is when things are getting troublesome…"

"Amen to that." Kankuro muttered as he glanced at the Akatsuki members, all who were preparing for battle.

This is going to become a battle for their lives.

**XXXXXX**

_Apartment  
Nirako_

A low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, and Isaribi immediately turned and opened her window only to be greeted by a sudden strong blast of wind which nearly knocked her backwards, and she shielded her eyes as she looked skywards only to see dark skies. And the waters of the sea that she could see from her window were choppy.

'_What is going on? It is still sunny a little while ago.' _Isaribi thought, her brows furrowing together. _'If it is a nin-ability, then the only one who could do that is…Haku!'_

Isaribi didn't hesitate as she turned around and grabbed a pair of black fingerless gloves lying in the drawer of her cabinet before she left her house, strapping on her gloves as she did so.

**

* * *

**_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Nirako_

"This storm is too sudden," said Yugito, entering the boathouse the moment that she'd secured the anchor of the boathouse, partially wet because of the storm. The waters were extremely choppy as well, and the boathouse was practically swaying and bobbing about on the angry waves. "It's not natural."

"I think so too," said Temari with a nod, looking out of the window. She bit on her lower lip. _'But the only one that I know of who could affect the weather with their power is…Haku.'_

**XXXXXX**

"Just stay dead!" Haku snarled as she struck Deidara in the midsection with her palm, and this sent him flying across the ice-coated sea, with him rolling away a good distance before stopping, with ice coating his body, and rendering him immobile.

Haku then turned and swept Sasori's feet from beneath him before kicking him in the chest, sending him flying as well. And she then turned and grabbed Nagato's wrist before he could touch her, twisting it hard enough to fracture the bones in his wrist, causing him to cry out in pain. She then glared at the orange haired ANBU. "I don't have any ill will against you, but I _do _have something against the ANBU as a whole."

Haku then coated her hand with ice before thrusting her hand into Nagato's abdomen. The guy was too stunned and shocked to even react as Haku was just too fast. He could only feel a cold sensation in his abdomen as Haku thrust her hand into his abdomen before she withdrew it out again, and stomach acid spilt out before he collapsed, clutching his abdomen.

"Nagato!" Konan screamed as she ran over to her boyfriend, healing him as best as she could, whilst Haku took no notice of the two and ran towards Kankuro who is currently facing off against Kisame and Itachi both right now – a good distance away from her.

And Haku knew that the guy stand no chance against the two strongest nin-users in all of ANBU, even without the usage of their powers. There is a reason why those two are the number one and two of the Akatsuki – the strongest squad in the ANBU.

But before she could even take another step, a wall made up of paper appeared in front of her, and Haku stopped in her tracks before she turned only to see Konan standing by Nagato's unconscious form, his breathing steady. Haku narrowed her eyes slightly. _'She managed to heal such a serious injury with only moments? Her healing ability is on par with me and Hinata!'_

"I'm sorry," said Konan, walking towards Haku. "I really don't want to do this. None of us wanted to, particularly Itachi. But it's an order from the commander. If we don't obey her and defy a direct mission order, all of us will be executed as traitors!"

"By that, I'm assuming that your orders are to either take us alive or to kill us." Haku stated, and the look on Konan's face answered that question. Haku narrowed her eyes. She really hates the ANBU. "Very well." She held out her right hand, and ice began forming into an ice sword in her hands. "Let's settle this!"

**

* * *

**Meanwhile, with Kankuro, he isn't having the greatest time of his life.

It's rather unfortunate for him that BOTH of his current opponents have powers that are a bad matchup against his – fire and water.

Kankuro panted heavily, coughing out huge amounts of blood as he did so, the right sleeve of his jacket barely hanging on, and there were already large tears and rips in his clothing. Blood was also running down the right side of his face, forcing him to keep his right eye closed to prevent blood from entering his eye.

Itachi and Kisame exchanged glances, both barely breaking a sweat. They _really _do not wish to do this, but this time, the mission MUST NOT fail! They must either take one Ragnarok member back alive, or they must at least eliminate one of them.

Tsunade had been rather clear and vocal about that.

Kisame placed his hand on Itachi's shoulder as the latter drew out his sword. "I'll do it," said Kisame. He then sighed and closed his eyes. "If you land the finishing blow on him, that girl of yours would never forgive you."

"What about your sister?"

The muscles in Kisame's neck tightened. "I…don't know. But seeing her alive and well…is good enough for me," he said. "She doesn't have to acknowledge me as her brother. As long as she's alive and in good health, I am satisfied. I don't care even if she hates me. As long as she's alive…"

Kisame then took off towards Kankuro. The younger teen, already having been weakened with both blood loss and using up most of his energy, could barely block Kisame's attack, and he was knocked back several steps.

Kankuro coughed out blood, ignoring it as he parried Kisame's sword with a blade that he had always carried with him. All of Ragnarok always had a backup weapon with them just in case. They always had two trump cards up their sleeve as they never know when they might need it.

"I…made a promise…" Kankuro coughed, and Kisame can only stare. "I made a promise…to return with them… We're going…to build a better life…for the nin-users…! I…can't die here!"

An influx of power surrounded him just then, and Kisame leapt back just in time, and both he and Itachi could only stare on with both shock and horror. "W-What is happening…?"

**

* * *

**On the other side of Konan's paper wall, both women stopped their attacks and turned towards the direction where they could both sense that sudden power influx.

"What was that?" Konan gasped.

Haku narrowed her eyes. That power felt like Kankuro's, but it felt darker as well…more ominous…just like those of Orochimaru's subordinates back then. What was that?

Haku sent some ice shards towards the paper wall just then, and it easily tore through it, especially since Haku had also imbued some of her own power within it, and the paper wall came down easily. And now, both women can see just what is happening on the other side of the wall, and Haku's eyes widened in horror.

"What was that?"

**

* * *

**Sand was forming around Kankuro's left arm, hardening as it did so, appearing like that of a gauntlet. Kankuro was panting as he did so. _'I never expected that I would have to use the Mutation from back then. Shiki said that it might kill us if we use it, and she is probably right. But I don't think that I have much time left anyway. My injuries are too serious. If I have to die, then I'm taking them down with me!'_

"W-What the hell is going on?" Kisame gasped, and the next moment, he had to block Kankuro's strike at him with his Samehada, and this action actually shattered his sword into pieces. "WHAT THE HELL?"

Kisame actually had to duck to prevent himself from losing his head, and Itachi can only stare on with shock as well. Kisame's sword is made up of a special property, as is the swords belonging to all members who had served in the underground mercenary group, Mist. And it is virtually impossible to break or shatter those swords.

Kisame actually felt all the wind knocked out of him when Kankuro struck him in the stomach with his gauntlet arm, and he actually felt half of his rib bones break, causing him to cough out blood. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Itachi standing not too far away from him, and decided on a last gamble.

"Itachi, he's yours!"

And with his last ounce of strength, Kisame actually struck Kankuro in the midsection hard enough to send him towards his teammate. Itachi, seeing Kankuro come towards him, struck out with his right arm to absorb that attack, only that he had completely forgotten that he still had his sword in his right hand.

Over with Konan and Haku, they could both see everything happening almost like in slow motion as Kankuro impaled himself on Itachi's sword through the chest, and he was then still.

Kankuro coughed out blood whilst being impaled on Itachi's sword.

'_So this is how I'm going to die?' _Kankuro coughed. _'Shiki…I had never regretted meeting you. If I can die to ensure Ragnarok's safety and survival…so be it. Live on…'_

"…_those bastards didn't come."_

"_The day that I call the ANBU for help is the day that the sun rises from the west."_

"_I need a favour, -."_

"…_Run!"_

"_You killed my people, so I think that it's wise if both my people and your own comrades killed you with their own hands! I'm not known as the 'Death Animator' among my own gang for nothing!"_

"_All of us are wanted by the ANBU just because we're nin-users. Granted, they've assumed that most, if not all of us are dead, but still… If we stay too long at any place…the ANBU will be after us again."_

"…_that guy…why did he act that way?"_

"…_you've got the eyes of someone drenched in cold rain."_

"_I hate them. The ANBU."_

"_We're going to save that girl."_

"…_would you like to come along?"_

Kankuro's eyes then slid shut.

He never moved again.

**

* * *

**Seeing Kankuro getting impaled on Itachi's sword, Haku then moved into action.

Before Konan can do anything to stop her, Haku took off towards Itachi and struck him in the midsection, sending him flying. But before Kankuro can fall to the ground, Haku caught him and pulled out the sword still impaled in him before throwing it towards Kisame who was coming towards them who barely dodged it.

Haku then activated her power before the ice below her feet gave way, and they both sank into the deep waters of the sea immediately. Having powers over ice and water, Haku is a pretty good swimmer herself, and she immediately dove down into the deep depths of the sea in case any of the ANBU had any ideas about chasing after them, though she didn't think that they would, as they still have to worry about their comrades.

A dark figure swam towards them just then, and Haku turned only to see that it's Isaribi in her 'experimented' form swimming towards them, with gills, fins and all. Isaribi grabbed Kankuro from Haku, and pulled on her hand which the ice maiden is grateful for, as she had long used up all of her strength, and simply has no energy left to make the swim back to shore.

But before they could even make it a quarter of the way before getting out of the waters, Haku blacked out.

**XXXXXX**

_Nakawa  
Japan_

"They're both too slow," said Tenten, her arms crossed over her chest as she surveyed the waters of the sea, yet she saw no one. "Haku and Kankuro…are they both alright?"

Neji exchanged glances with Hinata before pulling out his cellphone. "I'm calling the others."

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Nirako_

_Knock! Knock!_

The door to the boathouse nearly flew opened, and a hysterical Temari stood there. "Have you found him?" she nearly screamed at Shiki who is the first person whom she saw standing at the opened doorway.

The redhead looked over her shoulder, and Temari followed her gaze only to see Haku who was leaning on Hinata for support, and Tenten was supporting her on the other side. Neji was behind them, carrying Kankuro piggyback, but he isn't moving.

Temari's eyes widened. "K-Kankuro… It can't be…"

Yugito had to move Temari out of the doorway forcefully to allow Neji to enter the boathouse, and to place Kankuro's body on the couch. All of Ragnarok surrounded the body of their fallen comrade, their heads bowed to show their respect.

"I'm sorry," said Haku, turning towards Gaara, guilt written all over her face. "Even though I was there as well… I'm sorry that I wasn't able to save him! That I wasn't able to save Kankuro! I'm so sorry!" She bowed to Gaara.

"It isn't your fault, Haku," said Gaara, and Neji and Hinata nodded. "You both were facing off against the entire Akatsuki! You were facing four of them at one time! And all of them were on our level, combat wise. It's natural that you couldn't get to Kankuro on time. It wasn't your fault!"

"Gaara's right," said Yugito with a nod. She then sighed. "If truth be told, I'm surprised that all of us have managed to remain alive until now. It's been more than four years ever since we've first started going against the ANBU. And we've exchanged blows countless times now. A loss among us is bound to happen someday."

"Shiki, where were you?" Temari asked, sounding a tad bit strange, not removing her eyes from her deceased brother.

Neji frowned at Temari's tone. "Temari?"

"When they were fighting against the ANBU, where were you?" Temari turned around to face Shiki, and everyone could see that she is barely holding back her tears. "When Kankuro was fighting against the ANBU, _where were you?"_

Shiki closed her eyes briefly. She knew that Temari needed a scapegoat to blame for her brother's death, and an outlet to vent her anger and frustration. She'll gladly let Temari take it out on her. It is the least that she could do. After all, she had been the one to bring Temari, Kankuro and Gaara into this life in the first place.

"I was in Hagako."

"What were you doing there? If you were there with them…if you were with us…Kankuro wouldn't have died!" Temari almost screamed.

"Stop, Temari!" Tenten held the blonde back. "It isn't Shiki's fault!"

"Temari, just stop it," said Gaara, looking at his brother, and his sister turned towards him, wiping the tears pooling around her eyes with the back of her hand. "Kankuro did this because he wanted to. Have you forgotten? Back then, back when Shiki had rescued us from Amachi and took us in, we made a vow that day. We swore that we would protect her, even if we have to die doing so, because she is the first person who had extended her hand to us and had accepted us. If you're going to blame Shiki, then you're just blaming Kankuro as well."

Temari sniffed, and wiped her tears away. She felt the same as her only remaining brother, but she just wanted to vent. She wanted to find someone to blame. Why her brother? Why Kankuro?

"I'm sorry, Shiki," she mumbled.

Shiki shook her head. "It's alright. It is partly my responsibility that Kankuro had died," she said. She then turned towards Neji. "Neji, can you tell me everything that has happened?"

Neji nodded. "We were just going for a small spin on the speedboat," he said. "It's been awhile since we were on the sea with the speedboat, and I thought that it wouldn't do any harm." Shiki nodded. "But then, we were then attacked by the Akatsuki, the best combat squad in the ANBU. I have no idea how they have found us, but they did. Haku and Kankuro decided to face them themselves so that we could escape."

Haku took up the mantle next. "I faced four of their members – the bomb using guy, the guy that uses sand, the orange haired telekinetic, and the lone female member of their group," she said. "Kankuro ended up facing the captain and vice-captain of that squad."

Shiki flinched. No wonder Kankuro had died! Those two are the strongest of the entire ANBU, even without their powers!

"I didn't see the entire battle as I was busy with the woman, but halfway through the battle, Kankuro started the Mutation. And then…the captain of the Akatsuki…killed him."

Nearly everyone kneeled over at the sudden killer intent that had spiked from Shiki just then, and when Shiki saw that she had unintentionally released her killer intent, she immediately fought to have it back under control.

She glanced at her friends. "I know that most of you want revenge now, but we have to bide our time for now. If we go after the ANBU now, we'll just be throwing our lives away. It might be hard, but we have to bide our time. What we can now do at present is to mourn for him…" Shiki glanced at Kankuro's body. "…and to bide our time. I promise you that we'll have our revenge someday. This, I swear."

Everyone nodded, and Neji sighed.

"It is open war against the ANBU from now on, isn't it?" he asked, and Shiki nodded.

"Those guys have never done anything against us before, that's why I didn't want any of you to hurt them. But now, it's different," said Shiki, clenching her hands into fists by her sides, and glaring at the floor. "They hurt one of us, and they must pay the price for it. It'll be open war against the ANBU from now on."

Yugito snorted. "About damn time," she said.

Shiki sighed and turned towards Temari and Gaara. "Where do you want to bury him?" she asked.

Gaara and Temari turned towards their brother before exchanging glances with each other, and then turning back towards Shiki. "At Hiraiko." Gaara answered. "That is where we have first met you, Shiki. And it is also there where our lives have changed for the better. It might have been a tough road so far, but I've never regretted coming with you, or even meeting you. And I'm sure that Kankuro feels the same too."

**XXXXXX**

_Graveyard, Hiraiko  
Japan_

The rest of Ragnarok have retired back to the boathouse, with the girls trying to comfort Temari, and with Gaara sitting on the roof of the boathouse to mourn his brother's death his own way. In fact, the only ones of Ragnarok still remaining at the graveyard were Shiki, Shino and Neji.

Neji glanced at Shiki before sighing. "It wasn't your fault," he stated. "You did what you had to do to protect us. That's what being a leader is all about. It might sound cruel, but sometimes, you have to treat your comrades and friends as chess pieces on the chessboard."

"I know that," said Shiki with a sigh. "Jiraiya told me that once when I'd founded Ragnarok. But then, when Isaribi telephoned me, informing me about Kankuro, and I'd rushed over to her house and saw his body for myself, I kept thinking. I kept thinking 'maybe if I had been there, the outcome might have been different'. I kept thinking that. That maybe, that just maybe, I might have been able to save him."

"You wouldn't be able to do anything," said Shino patiently. "The future isn't set in stone, and even with Yugito's power to see the future, she couldn't see everything. It wasn't your fault that Kankuro had died. All that we can do now is to grow stronger, and to make sure that nothing like this happened again."

Shiki gave out a short bitter laugh. "Nothing is fair in this world, isn't it?" she muttered, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "The day that I've first met Gaara, Temari and Kankuro…I saw for myself the extents to what people would do to our kind. I swore to myself that day. I pledged to the heavens that have given us only Hell that I'll never let this go. I swore that I will someday have my revenge." She closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. "War always happens. It is our way of life. And war always comes from the desire to protect. It is created by the hands of humans. I'm not the most impartial person in the world. I agree that it is the fault of humans that the world is in the state that it now is. Maybe even the nin-users have contributed to the state that this world is now in. The seven deadly sins of Man – wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony. Those seven sins were created by us, by Mankind itself. It's unfortunate, but it is a fact that hatred rules our world. That's just the way that this world works." She sighed before turning around to leave the graveyard. "War brings death and pain to both sides. You can't change that fact. And it is even harder to accept the deaths of those close to you. And from here on out…probably…we're going to be contributing even more to that pain."

* * *

_A/N: My apologies to all Kankuro fans! I __**really **__didn't want to kill him off as well, but his death is required for the plot of this story! Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_You must consider the consequences. I am in love with you. I want you to pick me over him. I will fight for you until my death. And unlike him, I will always fight by your side."_

"_I'm going to put this to an end. It should have ended a long time ago."_

"_Do you seriously think that the rest of them will forgive you for killing one of our own?"_

'_Shiki… Do you really wish for this?'_


	19. Burden of Truth

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen: Burden of Truth**

_The story thus far…_

In this world, there are people known as nin-users who existed. People who wield strange powers and abilities that sets them apart from all the others. People feared things that they do not understand, and as such, a great number of nin-users were treated as abominations to be killed, or even being thought of as the cause of wars. And it didn't help matters with the nin-user decrees set by the former leaders of the ANBU during the war, and with the existence of a group named the Rebellion Group who takes it upon themselves to 'execute' nin-users. As such, the murder of a nin-user wouldn't be of much 'loss' to most of the towns in the country of Japan.

However, a secret organisation was then founded a couple of years after the end of the civil war that had nearly wrecked Japan beyond repair. A secret organisation consisting of ten teenagers, ten nin-users, and their desire to help the nin-users and the unfortunate, and their hatred for the ANBU organisation.

"_The day that I call the ANBU for help is the day that the sun rises from the west."_

"_I hate them. The ANBU."_

"_If the ANBU won't do anything to help the nin-users, then I shall!"_

"_Why should the nin-users suffer because of the arrogance of the humans?"_

"…_Ragnarok."_

A few years passed after the founding of the group, and the name of Ragnarok brought both fear and respect to the world of the Internet, and even the material world, and to people everywhere. Yet the identities of their members were shrouded in complete mystery, and several forums on the Internet speculated far and wide about the members of Ragnarok. After a break-in into the headquarters of Ragnarok by two members of this mysterious organisation, there is then an unofficial stance of the ANBU against this mysterious organisation.

"…_Twila."_

"_But this mysterious group__…Ragnarok is what they called themselves. They've been around for about two years now, at this point in time. Ragnarok is a mercenary group for hire…__**assassins**__ for hire."_

"_We're going to build a better life for the nin-users in the world. No nin-user in the future will suffer through what we have gone through in the past!"_

But then, the unofficial invisible war between the ANBU and Ragnarok soon grew more serious by the day, with the ANBU commander making the decision to go after them directly.

"_Murder is murder, no matter the reasons."_

"_If what we're doing is wrong, then what do you call all those bastards who murdered those nin-users? Is what they're doing is right? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"_

"_I owe the ANBU a debt that I would like to repay…in full."_

"_We're members of Ragnarok. Nice to meet you."_

Things soon headed to such a point that the commander of the ANBU actually ordered for the strongest squad in the ANBU, the Akatsuki, to directly go after Ragnarok, and to at least take out one of their members. They succeeded in taking the life of one of the ten members that make up Ragnarok, but that had the instant effect to make Ragnarok angry, and their leader then decided to take a more offensive stand against the ANBU.

"_Our orders from Tsunade-sama are to go after them immediately, and to capture them alive. If it is not possible…eliminate them."_

"_If you land the finishing blow on him, that girl of yours would never forgive you."_

"_I made a promise…to return with them… We're going…to build a better life…for the nin-users…! I…can't die here!"_

'_If I can die to ensure Ragnarok's safety and survival…so be it.'_

"_War always happens. It is our way of life. And war always comes from the desire to protect. It is created by the hands of humans. I'm not the most impartial person in the world. I agree that it is the fault of humans that the world is in the state that it now is. Maybe even the nin-users have contributed to the state that this world is now in."_

"_It's unfortunate, but it is a fact that hatred rules our world. That's just the way that this world works. War brings death and pain to both sides. You can't change that fact. And it is even harder to accept the deaths of those close to you. And from here on out…probably…we're going to be contributing even more to that pain."_

"_Those guys have never done anything against us before, that's why I didn't want any of you to hurt them. But now, it's different. They hurt one of us, and they must pay the price for it. It'll be open war against the ANBU from now on."_

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Hiraiko_

It was late at night, and the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of the waves lapping gently against the sides of the boathouse that also serves as Ragnarok's headquarters. Nearly all of Ragnarok were asleep, all exhausted mentally and physically because of the events of that day that had taken away the life of one of their own.

'Nearly' because two of their members were still wide awake, and both could be found on the rooftop of the boathouse that also serves as their headquarters.

One was the leader of Ragnarok, Namikaze Shiki.

The other was the older sister of their deceased friend, Sabaku no Temari.

And the two girls were currently seated on the roof of the boathouse, each saying nothing, with a fair number of beer bottles in a pile all around them. Shiki was seated cross-legged on the roof as she looked at the full moon in the velvety black night sky. It was a full moon night that night, and the rays of the moon cast a beautiful picture, though the redhead is currently in no mood to admire the beauty of the night.

Her blonde companion, Temari, was sitting with her legs drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, with her chin resting atop her knees, with a sad expression on her face.

Shiki said nothing during the past two hours that Temari had came up here, and the blonde was thankful for that. The redhead knew when to keep silent and when to lend a listening ear to her friends, and when to comfort them. She had that kind of strange power – the kind that knew just what an individual is feeling, and what to do to make them feel better.

Temari still can't accept her brother's death. It was too sudden. Just this morning, she had been messing around with him as usual after she'd accidentally came across his stash of 'literature', and the brunette had to run to dodge Temari's swipes at him, with the rest of Ragnarok snickering at the brunette's plight.

"Shiki." Temari spoke at last, raising her head a few inches off of her knees.

"Hmm?" Shiki uttered.

"Have…you ever felt like giving up? Ever felt like just…giving up and dying?" Temari asked, glancing at the redhead beside her who didn't look at her, but at the moon.

A dark expression passed by Shiki's face, and she closed her eyes briefly, as some bad memories were brought to the surface of her mind with Temari's question.

_She's just a monster!_

_It hurts… Why? Why are they doing this?_

_A monster doesn't need emotions._

_I…hate it… Why is it always me…always us?_

_I hate them. The ANBU._

"I have," said Shiki at last, biting on the inside of her cheek to prevent the tears from falling from her eyes. "Probably my entire life before I had met you guys."

Temari managed a wan smile. "Yeah…I guess so," she muttered. "The ones who have killed Kankuro…it's the Akatsuki, isn't it?"

Shiki gave out a small sigh. "You're not their match yet, and you know it," she stated, almost like she had just read Temari's mind. "You'll never beat the top members of the Akatsuki – Nagato, Konan, Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi. The only ones whom you could probably beat are probably Akasuna no Sasori and that bomber guy."

"I know."

"_Kiss me sweet… I'm sleeping in silence… All alone…in ice and snow—"_

Temari raised a confused brow when she saw Shiki took out her cellphone, and after seeing the name of the caller flashing on the LCD screen of her cellphone, she simply pressed the 'end call' button, slipping her phone back into her pocket.

"You're not going to answer?"

"No."

Temari managed a small sigh, tightening her arms around her knees. "I know about him, you know?" she said, and Shiki glanced at Temari out of the corner of her eye. "I know about you and that Akatsuki captain. It's a little difficult _not_ to know, especially with Gaara, Neji and Shino always covering for you when you've staged one of your 'disappearances'."

"I see."

"I don't blame you," said Temari. "That's why…" She trailed off.

Shiki sighed. "It'll probably be easier for me to deal with Kankuro's death if you do," she said. "But regardless, promise me not to do anything stupid. The others…they can no longer take another death of one of us. If something happens to you as well, they'll probably snap."

"Yeah. I know." Temari muttered. Silence fell between them both for several moments before Temari loosened her posture. She then wiped away the tears with the back of her hand that was slowly forming around her eyes. "I heard from Neji and Haku earlier about what had happened. Just to let them escape, and to protect them, Kankuro decided to delay the ANBU members that came after them – the Akatsuki. Even though he knew that he probably stands no chance at defeating all six of them at once, even with Haku's help." Temari managed a bitter laugh. "He's always like this. Always putting people before himself. Before we have met you, we have to live like street rats off the food scraps that we could find in the trash. That is before we have met Iruka-san, and he often offered us free food. Whatever food scraps that Kankuro could find, he always gave it to me and Gaara first. It's probably because of that kindness for people that he possesses that he always put them before himself. And now…" Temari's lips trembled with emotion before she bit on the inside of her lip to prevent herself from crying.

"Are you alright?"

Temari forced herself to smile, even though she doesn't really feel like it. "I'm fine!" she said, forcing herself to sound upbeat. "I'm alright! I have to keep it together…for everyone else."

Shiki finally turned to look at Temari in the eye, and the blonde was startled at the look in the redhead's eyes. "You don't have to force yourself to act like this around me," she stated. "So you don't have to keep it together when there are only two of us here."

Temari's eyes widened, before she managed a small smile. Like always, Shiki could always seem to read her emotions, and what she is really feeling. There are times when she had wondered if Shiki could read minds.

Temari then crawled over to Shiki on her hands and knees, sitting on her knees behind the redhead who didn't turn around, merely staring at the moon. Temari then rested her forehead against Shiki's back, her shoulders shaking with emotion. "Then lend me your back for awhile."

Shiki said nothing as light sobs could be heard from Temari before she felt something wet seeping through the fabric of her coat and shirt, as Temari grieved properly for her brother.

**XXXXXX**

_The Next Day  
ANBU Headquarters_

All of Akatsuki were rather subdued the next morning in their office, and they were all on pins and needles, wondering what Ragnarok is going to do next. There is no way that that organisation would just keep quiet after they've killed one of their members. And all of Akatsuki knew that the only way that they have managed to pull off a nearly impossible feat by killing one of their members is because of the mere fact alone that there are only _two _Ragnarok members then, and _six _of them.

Tsunade was half-pleased with their work, though the blonde woman had complained that they should have caught the other remaining member alive or even kill her as well. Nagato and Sasori actually have to forcefully drag both Itachi and Kisame out of the commander's office then, as the two actually looked mad enough to kill their commander on the spot.

All of Akatsuki apart from Deidara who was called down the fire arms department for some bomb dismantlement work – his old department prior to joining Akatsuki and Criminal Affairs, were currently all gathered in their office. Apart from Itachi who is currently sitting at his desk staring at his cellphone for some reason, the rest of the Akatsuki were all seated in the couches in the office, talking about nothing in particular.

Itachi had been trying to contact Shiki since the previous night, but the girl either hadn't been picking up his calls, or had promptly ended the call without even answering, not that Itachi can blame her, but he seriously needs to talk to her.

The door of their office flew opened with a resounding crash just then, and all Akatsuki members turned around in surprise only to see a frantic Deidara standing at the opened doorway, one hand holding the door to prevent it from rebounding back and hitting him, the other hand clutching onto a piece of paper that looks suspiciously like some letter.

"Deidara? What's the matter?" asked Sasori in confusion. "Is there a fire or something?"

"No. This came through the mail earlier when I was passing by the Administrative office," said Deidara, walking towards his teammates after closing the door, holding up the white envelope in his hands.

The eyes of all Akatsuki members widened in shock when they saw the symbol of Ragnarok etched on the envelope. It was unmarked which meant that it was delivered by hand, and slipped into their post-box.

"Give me that," said Itachi, nearly snatching the envelope from Deidara's fingers, and almost ripping the letter apart as the rest of his teammates crowded around his desk as their captain unfolded the letter within it. The words of the letter were cut out from magazines and newspapers, and pasted onto the letter, spelling out several words. Itachi read the contents of the letter out grimly. "'A tooth for a tooth. An eye for an eye. You ANBU had just gone over the line. We bore with what you fuckers did time and again. You mess with one of us, you deal with all of us'."

A deathly silence fell upon the Akatsuki, and all of them exchanged looks with each other, their faces pale. Oh shit. They are in big trouble now. Ragnarok is really angry. They knew that they might have to pay the price for taking the life of one of their comrades, but they didn't expect for Ragnarok to retaliate this way.

Kisame suddenly found himself questioning his desire to stay on in the ANBU when he read the contents of the letter over Itachi's shoulder, the latter who had gripped onto the letter so tightly that his knuckles actually turned white.

Ragnarok is _really _angry now.

And that is _not _a good thing.

The water user almost groaned. "I've told you that we shouldn't have messed with them!" he stated, looking at the pale faces of his comrades. "But did any of you listen? Did Tsunade-sama listen to what I have to say? No! Heaven forbid that you listen to the second-in-command of the Akatsuki! Now we're going to have to pay the price for messing with Ragnarok." He glanced at Itachi who had a reigned look on his face. "And I don't think that we're going to like it."

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Hiraiko_

On the rooftop of the boathouse where Shiki was sitting cross-legged, allowing the sea breeze to blow through her hair, she eyed her cellphone. Itachi had finally given up on trying to call her after she refused to pick up his sixtieth phone call.

It had been a few hours ever since dawn had broken, and Temari is currently asleep in her room, with Haku and Hinata both watching over her. The blonde had cried her eyes out all night, and had fallen asleep a little before dawn, ending up in Gaara having to carry his sister back to the room that all the girls shared between them.

And needless to say, Shiki hasn't been able to sleep a wink the entire night.

She was torn in half.

She won't let Kankuro's death go unpunished, but on the other hand, she knew that she wouldn't be able to bring herself to kill Itachi. And on that note, what is she supposed to do about their relationship? Things have been rather awkward between them both after Itachi had figured out who she is. And now with what had happened, it is ten times as worst.

She is the captain of Ragnarok after all. She had a duty to fulfil.

Shiki took out her wallet from within her pocket and opened it only to see a photograph taken of the entire Ragnarok nearly a year ago, with all of them standing in front of the boathouse. Kankuro had grabbed both Neji and Gaara around their necks, grinning wildly at the camera, much to the latter two's displeasure. The rest of them were smiling at the camera, though smirks in the cases of the boys.

Shiki sighed as she stared at the photo, tracing Kankuro's image in the photo with the tips of her index finger. And almost as if her own mind is mocking her, Shiki could almost hear Neji's voice repeating the words that he had said to her the previous night after they have buried Kankuro in the graveyard of Hiraiko.

_It wasn't your fault. You did what you had to do to protect us. That's what being a leader is all about. It might sound cruel, but sometimes, you have to treat your comrades and friends as chess pieces on the chessboard._

Shiki closed her eyes, closing her fingers around her wallet and closing it with a light snap before placing it back within her pocket. She then turned her gaze towards her cellphone and flipped it opened, scrolling down the list of her contacts before she came to Itachi's name, staring at it for a long while.

Finally, Shiki made up her mind and began to type out a message in the messaging service of her cellphone.

'_I want to see you. I'll be in Hagako. Meet me in front of the broken-down building in District 30 of Hagako – the same place where we've met each other the last time.'_

She then pressed on the 'send' button before shutting her phone and placing it within her pocket. Before Shiki could even get up, she heard light footsteps behind her before Neji stepped up next to her, his hands stuffed into his pockets, with the bottoms of his white shirt swaying gently in the sea breeze, with the teen not looking at anything but at the sun.

"Are you going to meet him?" Neji stated more than questioned. When Shiki didn't say anything to that, Neji turned towards the redhead. "How much longer are you going to torture yourself like this? You being with him is rather like a double edged sword for you."

"I'm not—"

"You're only deceiving yourself!" Neji said harshly. He then realised just how harsh he had just sounded, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. It's just…I can't stand seeing you like this any longer. It got worse after last night when…" Neji trailed off. He then cleared his throat. "I've heard from Shino earlier that you've been on the roof all night, and _he's _usually the last one of us to sleep, and the first to wake. You hadn't slept all night, have you?"

Shiki sighed. "No."

"Why are you torturing yourself like this?" Neji questioned. "And don't tell me that you're not." He interrupted, seeing Shiki about to open her mouth. "I know you better than that." He sighed. "You must consider the consequences, Shiki. I am in love with you. I want you to pick me over him. I will fight for you until my death. And unlike him, I will always fight by your side."

Shiki was silent for several moments. She is far from stupid, and she knew of Neji's feelings for her for some time now, especially since it's a little difficult to ignore. But she had pretended that she doesn't know of his feelings for her, especially since it's easier that way, and she has no wish to hurt him.

But now…

Shiki stood up, and turned her head slightly to look at Neji. "Can you not let me think about this for now?" she asked. "I…don't want to think about this now. Just…leave me alone for some time. I need some time to think."

Neji nodded, and Shiki inclined her head to him in thanks before turning and walking down the stairs all the way down to the first storey of the boathouse. Miraculously, there isn't a single soul around, and Shiki guessed that the rest of them must be in their rooms, grieving for Kankuro their own way.

Shiki then headed towards the door of the boathouse, opening it and stepping out. She was slightly taken aback by the sight of Gaara leaning against the sides of the boathouse, looking down at the waters of the lake that they were currently docked at.

Shiki then stepped past him, and before she could get off the boathouse, Gaara spoke. "Are you going?" he stated more than questioned, and Shiki turned to look at her friend who had looked at her straight in the eye. "You're still going to meet him after what he had done to Kankuro?"

Shiki closed her eyes briefly before opening them again to look at Gaara. "Not the way you think," she said, clenching her hands into fists by her sides. "I'm going to put this to an end. It should have ended a long time ago. I…just didn't have the guts to do that. But now…"

Gaara sighed and straightened up. "I'll go with you," he stated.

Shiki shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, but I have to do this alone," she said. She sighed, reading Gaara's look immediately. "I'll be alright."

**XXXXXX**

District 30 of the city of Hagako was also otherwise known as Dead Men's Street. That district is the single most dangerous district in all of Hagako, and it especially held true after dark, when just walking down the streets of this district might mean your death.

And it is that district where one Uchiha Itachi could be found walking down it, keeping a sharp eye out for any troublemakers. Suspicious eyes were casted towards the Uchiha's direction as he walked down the street until he approached the broken down building where he had found Shiki standing in front of the last time.

The redhead was currently standing in front of said building, her hands stuffed into her pockets, and looking up at the building with a distant look in her eyes, almost as if she was recalling some past memories, and then again, she probably is.

"Shiki—"

"Why did you kill Kankuro?" Shiki cut Itachi off, her voice cold and angry. Itachi almost shivered at that, as he had never heard Shiki use that tone of voice with him before. The redhead wasn't looking at him, but was focusing on the building in front of her, her hands stuffed into her pockets, the muscles in her neck tightening. "He is like a brother to me! Why did you kill him? What did he ever do to you?"

"It was an order," said Itachi after a long silence fell between them both. "Even you know what that means. And besides…there are no differences on the battlefield."

Shiki suddenly spun around on her heel without warning, and Itachi only caught pure anger in her eyes before she lashed out with her right hand clenched into a fist, and struck him in the jaw. Itachi didn't do anything to defend himself as he stumbled backwards, cradling his jaw, spitting out a tooth.

He knew that he deserved that.

He also knew that it is already a miracle in itself that Shiki didn't try to kill him on sight.

Shiki clenched her jaw together before wiping away the tears that is slowly forming around her eyes with the back of her hand. "You… You really didn't care how I will feel or even think when Haku brought back Kankuro's body, did you? How _I_ felt when Haku told me that _you're _the one who had killed Kankuro?" she questioned. "How do you think that I felt every single time when the news came up about ANBU taking a stand towards Ragnarok, and how they felt about us? How do you think I felt when _you _told me what you think about Ragnarok and what we do? Did you even think about it?"

Itachi almost blanched.

Now that he think about it, he had always been worrying about his own relationship with Shiki, her other identity as the leader of the group that the ANBU had been after for nearly four years, and what his comrades would say once they've found out about Shiki to even think about Shiki's own feelings on this matter.

"You've never thought about it, have you?" Shiki questioned. "How selfish can you be?" She wiped away the tears slowly pooling around her eyes. "I know it. I always knew all along that our relationship can never amount to anything much. Not as long as you are ANBU and I am Ragnarok. Let's…not see each other anymore."

Itachi's eyes widened a slight fraction with both shock and horror. "S-Shiki? What are you saying?"

Shiki shook her head, turning fully to face Itachi. "Stop deceiving yourself, Itachi," she said, her voice quavering. "We stand on different sides. You know this. What is the use in drawing out the pain? We might as well put this pain to an end. I…can't take this any longer. It is going to drive me crazy if this continue on for much longer! Once the time comes, can you even bring yourself to fight me?"

"Then why can't you just come with me? All those months ago, when I've asked you to come with me, you refused. And now, you still refuse," said Itachi desperately, clinging onto some faint glimmer of hope rather like a drowning man clinging onto a rope. "We don't have to fight each other at all. As long as you're the leader of Ragnarok, we still have to continue fighting. We can just leave and go to another country where no one knew about us. So why can't you just come with me?"

"Itachi, have you ever thought about my feelings?" asked Shiki. "Back then, when you'd asked me to come with you, have you ever thought about my feelings, and how I will feel when you've suddenly popped this question out of the blue?" She turned her face away. "Even if I am never the leader of Ragnarok, have you ever thought about what I might have to give up if I go with you?" She turned back towards Itachi who had a stunned expression on his face, and she smiled grimly. "You didn't, did you? Besides, I have a responsibility here to protect the members of Ragnarok. They're my family and my friends. I can't just abandon them. And more than anything, I…don't want to make the same mistake with them that I did with Blade nearly eight years ago." Shiki ran the fingers of her right hand through her hair. "Besides, you killed one of our own, and Kankuro is Gaara and Temari's brother. Do you seriously think that the rest of them will forgive you for killing one of our own?"

"B-But if Ragnarok is dissolved, then you can—"

"If anything happens to any of them, then you'll be the first one that I kill!" Shiki growled, her eyes flashing murder.

Itachi was taken aback by this declaration. The look in Shiki's eyes told him that she _wasn't _joking. The Uchiha then clenched his hands into fists by his sides before looking into Shiki's eyes. "Is that why you've sent that letter? As warning?"

"You can put it that way," said Shiki. "You're the captain of Akatsuki. There is no way that you wouldn't know this. As leader, you are responsible for the welfare and the lives of all the members under you. I have a responsibility to protect them! I started Ragnarok. Thus, I have a responsibility to protect them! All of us…" She clenched her hands into fists by her sides. "All of us…we knew the fate of the nin-users in Japan. The ANBU didn't protect them. They didn't care about them in the least. Like how they have abandoned _us _when we needed help the most! I've seen many deaths. Too many people have died. Too many, in fact. Even as Ragnarok, we couldn't manage to save everyone. No one could. You ANBU call us murderers. Then tell me something. When you refused to help a nin-user because of 'lack of evidence', 'the person involved is a politician', or that 'we have orders not to interfere', just how different are you from us? At least we have the guts to stand out and protect those that couldn't protect themselves. What about you guys? Nin-users have the power to protect people. That's why that power is given to them. At least, that's what I think. But then, what are you using your powers for? To ostracise the weak? Or to gain more power? And on that note, just why did you join the ANBU in the first place?"

"I…"

"You can't answer me, can you?" Shiki questioned, a grim smile tilting at the ends of her lips. "I didn't think that you could as well. You could only blindly follow orders…just like a caged bird. You don't even know what you're fighting for. Once you've found your answer, then come and find me. Depending on my mood, we may or may not talk."

Itachi's eyes widened. He knew Shiki well enough to know just what she is implying. "No…! I don't want that!"

"Then what do you want me to do?" Shiki almost shouted at Itachi. "You don't want to do this, you don't want to do that! Then just what do you want to do? We can't always have things go our way! That is just how this world works! It thrives on pain and hatred alone. Hatred rules our world. You can't change that fact! You killed Kankuro. Do you seriously think that we could still continue living this lie, and pretended that nothing had happened?"

Shiki clenched both her hands into fists and pushed them against Itachi's chest, her head bowed down so that Itachi couldn't see her crying. "I beg of you… I can't stand this any longer… Why are you torturing me like this? We…can't be together anymore. Every time I see you, I kept seeing Kankuro's body. You remind me of his death and how he had died every single time when I see you. I beg of you…don't do this to me any longer… If your feelings are really true to me…and if you really love me, let me go. Don't do this to me any longer. We…can't be together anymore. And neither can we see each other again. We can't see each other any longer…not even as friends!"

"Shiki…I…! I don't want that!"

"You no longer have a choice in the matter," said Shiki, taking a step back from Itachi, and wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "Even if you leave the ANBU now, it is…impossible…to go back to what we once were before." She turned her back on Itachi, turning to leave. "Let's…not see each other any longer…" Her voice trembled with emotion before Shiki shook her head slowly. "No… We…can't see each other any longer."

Before Shiki could walk away from Itachi however, Itachi called out to her. "The Devil's Melody!" Shiki said nothing to that, but she merely stopped in her tracks. Itachi took in a deep breath before speaking again. "The Devil's Melody." He repeated his words from before. "Every Friday night in the town of Hiraiko, there is a weekly evening performance. The townspeople called that weekly concert the Devil's Melody. It is held in remembrance of all those who were Orochimaru's victims. I want to play for you again. Just like before."

Shiki closed her eyes briefly, recalling that one occasion in Hiraiko all those months ago when Itachi had played the guitar for her. It is a little difficult to believe that it had only happened a few months ago when it had almost felt like an eternity to her.

_Would you like to hear me play?_

_Can you even play the guitar?_

"Please…" Itachi was almost pleading with Shiki. "Y-You don't have to let me see you. Just…just give me a chance to play for you again. Just that knowledge is enough for me. Please, Shiki."

There was a very long silence after that, and Shiki didn't move a muscle, not wanting Itachi to see the tears falling from her eyes. Why go that far for her? Why even her in the first place? Just what did she have that other girls don't?

"Why?" she questioned. "Why go that far for me? I won't go to the Devil's Melody. You can stop wasting your time. Don't wait for me. Find someone else. Someone else that deserves your love, and who needs you more than I do. Someone…more worthy than me."

"I don't want anyone else!" Itachi almost shouted after Shiki. "You're the only one for me! There is no one but you! I'll wait. I don't care how long it is going to be, I'll wait for you. Even if it is a hundred years, I will wait."

"One hundred years?"

"It isn't that long," said Itachi, though he felt a little ridiculous when he had said that. "Not to me, at least."

"Just…give up."

The wind started to pick up just then, sending a fair number of dried leaves flying past Itachi's vision, forcing him to shield his eyes from the strong wind temporarily. And when he had opened his eyes once more, Shiki was gone.

**XXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters  
Leaf City_

Itachi looked rather like the living dead when he had returned to ANBU headquarters, and maybe it is a good thing in itself that Kisame is the only one in the office when he had returned. His best friend looked at Itachi, and judging by the look on his face, Kisame knew that something important must have happened, and he guessed immediately that it must have something to do with Itachi's girlfriend.

Especially since Itachi had read a message that had arrived to his cellphone hours prior, and had then promptly ran out of the office like it is on fire, muttering something that sounded like, "Shiki."

Kisame flipped opened his cellphone and looked at the wallpaper of his phone which is that of a childhood photo of both him and his baby sister before circumstances had torn them both apart. He clenched his jaw before standing up from behind his desk, picking up his coat as he did so, and walked towards the door.

Itachi called out to Kisame before the latter could leave the office, and the voice of the Akatsuki captain sounded a tad bit hoarse.

"Are you going, Kisame?"

Kisame closed his eyes and nodded, turning towards his best friend. "Yeah. I have to see Haku," he said. He clenched his jaw before shaking his head slowly from side-to-side. "No. I _want _to see her."

"She'll destroy you." Itachi stated. "She won't forgive you for what had happened, and you know it. Besides, she—"

"—is stronger than me." Kisame finished Itachi's sentence. "I know that. Regardless, I'm still going."

"Kisame." Itachi turned towards Kisame, and the water user turned towards his best friend and captain. Itachi had a serious and reigned look in his eyes. "I just have one question for you." Kisame nodded. "No matter what ugly thing that you might see, are you ready to accept it?"

Kisame closed his eyes before opening them again. "I…don't know." He admitted.

"Then go and find your answer," said Itachi. "But…that is if you can find your sister."

Kisame nodded before placing one hand on the door knob of the door before turning it and pushing the door opened, walking out through the doorway, one thought resounding in his head as he did so.

'_Haku…where are you?'_

**XXXXXX**

_Two Days Later  
Hiraiko_

The Devil's Melody, the mini-concert held in the town of Hiraiko every Friday night is really something that the townspeople have held as remembrance to all those who have fallen victim to Orochimaru's vile experiments, and also to thank a certain organisation for taking the snake out.

The participants of the mini-concert were often citizens of Hiraiko, though they do get people from outside as well. A number of performances were always put up, ranging from magic shows to play skits, and to musical performances. As such, this little mini-concert had always managed to draw in the crowds.

Everyone clapped politely as Uchiha Itachi ended the final tunes of the song that he had been playing on the keyboard that he had been using. He had prior experience with the keyboard, as his mother had taught him before she had died, but he had preferred using the guitar as it is less complicated for him.

Itachi glanced over the faces of the semi-large crowd that had gathered around the stage that the townspeople had set up for the purpose of this mini-concert, and his heart sank when he tried, and failed to see a hint of red hair among the crowd.

'_So she didn't come in the end.'_

Itachi then forced himself to put on a small smile as he turned to face the crowd. "This is the last song for tonight. This song is dedicated to someone very important and precious to me. If you're here, then please listen. I will wait for you. No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you. With that, please enjoy."

His fingers then strummed over the keys of the keyboard, and the slow fleeting tunes of a rather favourite song of Shiki's by the name of The Other Promise began to sound in the air as Itachi began to get rather lost in the song himself.

Somewhere within the vast crowd, Namikaze Shiki leaned with her back against one of the lampposts that lit up the area, with her back facing Itachi, a baseball cap on her head, being worn from back to front, her arms crossed over her chest as she listened to the song, a small smile on her face.

He still remembered that this is her favourite song. She had only mentioned it once to him, and he had remembered.

Shiki closed her eyes, preventing the tears from forming. Why is it that things have turned out this way? If she had known that it'll hurt this much, she wished that she had never met Itachi, or that she would never have tried to influence his decision in joining the ANBU when they have first met in Cat's Eye.

"_Do you always use this method to pick up girls?"_

"_Come on, it's okay, isn't it? We could be friends or something. I'm Uchiha Itachi. What's your name?"_

"_I don't give my name to people whom I barely know."_

Shiki gave a small sad smile. He was such a player back then. Always messing around with her. She had finally given into his persistence, and they have ended up being friends. Then she had grown afraid when she had suddenly started developing feelings for the guy. Especially since she knew that he is one of their enemies.

"_You've been awfully distant with me lately, Shiki. And I want to know why. What did I do to you? If it is anything that I did, then please give me the chance to amend it. Your friendship means everything to me. You know that."_

"_It isn't anything that you've done."_

"_I won't let you run from me. I was a fool. I thought that I can ignore it. But Fate decided otherwise. I knew…ever since that time at the beach…I knew that I carried feelings for you. But I tried to ignore it as I didn't want to lose our friendship."_

"_Please Shiki. Don't run from me."_

Shiki closed her eyes briefly as the last tunes of the song echoed around. _'This is it, Itachi,' _she thought. _'I'm sorry. We can't be together anymore. It doesn't matter what I want. I just can't do this to the others. But…the few months that we were together…is among the happiest of my life.' _She turned her head to look at Itachi as the song ended, and thunderous clapping echoed from the crowd. _'Thank you.'_

She then turned to walk away from the crowd, one hand reaching up to remove the baseball cap from her head, and her red hair fell down to her shoulders. She paused slightly in her step to look at Itachi up on the stage once more before she turned away, and went on her way.

Up on the stage, Itachi's eyes widened as he caught sight of a hint of red hair, and saw Shiki's face somewhere in the sea of faces before she disappeared into the crowd. He smiled a sad smile to himself. _'I guess that we're reduced to this now. Why must things turn out this way?'_

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Hiraiko_

Later that night when everyone in Ragnarok was fast asleep, one could find Namikaze Shiki standing by the side of the boathouse, leaning with her arms resting against the sides of the boathouse as she listened to the quiet waves of the water lapping gently against the sides of the boathouse.

The full moon was reflected clearly in the dark waters of the lake, and Shiki could also briefly see her own reflection in the water. _'This is it,' _she thought. _'I made my own decision, and I will stick to it. It's no use thinking about it now. Our time together…' _She closed her eyes briefly as her right hand went to the silver bracelet around her left wrist, and started undoing the clasps around it before it fell lightly into the palm of her right hand. _'…has come to an end.'_

Shiki then dropped the bracelet into the dark waters of the lake and watched it sink.

**

* * *

**Uchiha Itachi walked along the shores of Hiraiko, watching the sands below his feet as his shoes kicked up sand occasionally, with the sea breeze blowing through his hair. He wished that things have never come to this. He wished that none of this had ever happened.

He then stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the full moon in the sky, and the waters of the sea, as Shiki's voice then echoed through his mind.

_Once the time comes, can you even bring yourself to fight me?_

Itachi closed his eyes, stuffing his hands into his pockets. _'You're too cruel, Shiki.'_

As he turned to walk down the shores once more, he felt himself stepping on something hard, and paused in his step. Itachi then bent down and started brushing away the sand on the object that he had stepped on before a silver bracelet was soon resting in the palm of his right hand, glistening slightly with water droplets dripping off it.

Itachi could not help but manage a small sad smile as he recognised the bracelet as the one that he had given Shiki on the night when they have both made love to each other. Did she really want to end things so badly that she actually had to force herself to throw out every single thing that had reminded her of him?

Something made Itachi turn his gaze towards the sea waters just then, and he raised a brow when he saw several Absinth flowers floating on the waters of the sea, a stalk of that purple-blue flower being pushed by the waves of the sea so that it rested at his feet.

Absinth flowers represented separation.

Itachi closed his eyes and chuckled darkly.

Is this the answer given to him by the heavens? That no matter what, no matter how long he waited and how hard he tried, that things between him and Shiki would never be straightened out, and that they could never be together?

He won't believe that!

He _refused _to believe that!

Itachi sighed as he turned his head skywards before looking at the bracelet currently resting in the palm of his right hand. _'Shiki… Do you really wish for this?'_

But there is no answer.

* * *

_A/N: Welcome to the start of a new story arc! And I hope that this chapter isn't too antsy for you guys. I don't know about you, but I nearly cried myself when I was writing about the separation between Itachi and Shiki. It is another thing if their feelings have died for each other, but it is another thing entirely if circumstances have forced them apart. Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

_**Preview of next chapter: An Eye for an Eye**_

"_Shiki's suffering too, isn't she?"_

"_Twila and Ragnarok don't always accept your request right away. And Twila don't always appear to you right away after receiving a request. Sometimes, she sends people like us to listen to the voice of your heart."_

"_All humans have darkness in their hearts."_

"_You wanted a fight. We'll give you a war. The game starts now. Let's play."_

_

* * *

__**Upcoming Stories:**_

_**My Other Half (Naruto)**_

_FemNaru. All twins are like one single entity. On the night of the Kyuubi attack, Uchiha Madara took one Namikaze Sayo away with him to Akatsuki where she is trained to be one of their members. Now, nearly fifteen years later, both Namikaze twins met each other for the first time, and can Sayo bring herself to bring her twin to instant death when Akatsuki and the Leaf-nins faced each other in battle?_

_**One Last Hope (Naruto)**_

_AU FemNaru. The attack on the village by Akatsuki had greater repercussions than expected, and war was soon declared on the elemental nations by the Choushuu. Desperate to at least save whatever lives that she could, Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage sent three of her best ninjas to Kyoto to seek the help of the Shinsengumi – Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata and Namikaze Sayo. Naruto/Hakuouki crossover. Saitou/FemNaru_

_**Silent Symphony (Harry Potter)**_

_FemHarry. When Rowena Ravenclaw witnessed for herself just how the wizarding world was led to doom because of the actions of one Albus Dumbledore which lead to the birth of Lord Voldemort, she forced herself through a cycle of reincarnation and became Hilda Potter. Watch out, world. Rowena Ravenclaw is back. And she isn't happy. Cedric/FemHarry_

_**Hilda Evans Snape (Harry Potter)**_

_FemHarry. Hilda Potter never went to the Dursleys at all. Lily Potter had made it quite clear in her will that if anything were to happen to her and her husband, one Severus Snape is to be given custody of her. With use of a blood adoption ritual, Severus Snape soon became the father of Hilda Potter, and soon became known as Hilda Evans Snape. Hilda is two years older than canon. Charlie/FemHarry_

_**I Fall For You (Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru)**_

_What if Yuki is reborn as a girl in this life? And what if she is much more quiet and soft-spoken than expected? After a trauma that sealed her voice shut, she gains unexpected help in the form of Zweilt Guardians, and will she open her heart to a certain Opast? Luka/Yuki_

_**My Little Angel (07-Ghost)**_

_FemTeito. Verloren's angel was slain by the 7 Ghosts when the daughter of the King of Heaven wanted the angel out of the way. Mad with grief, Verloren slain Eve, and both master and angel were then banished to Earth for eternal reincarnation until the end of time. Now 1000 years later, both master and angel met each other again…in the Barsburg Military Academy._

_**Three's a Crowd! (Kaichou wa Maid-sama)**_

_Who would have thought that the Student Council President of Miyabigaoka and the Demon President of Seika High were once friends? No one in Seika High expected that, least of all Usui Takumi. And thus, the poor guy soon started feeling very jealous when Igarashi Tora soon making advances on Misaki. Usui/Misaki. One-sided Igarashi/Misaki_


	20. An Eye for an Eye

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: An Eye for an Eye**

_Abandoned Shack  
Shirokyu, Japan_

"Where is Ne's base of operations?" A low voice that almost sounded animalistic growled into the captive's ear who is currently bound hand and foot to a chair, with darkness all around, not allowing the captive to see the face of his kidnappers in the least.

"I've already told you! It's in Nakawa—Aaarrrggghhh!" His answer was cut off halfway, only to be replaced by bloodcurdling screams like he was currently being murdered, though that wasn't that far off from the truth, judging by the fact that an eight-inch long blade was driven in between the wrist bones of the captive's right hand, practically staining the armrest and the ground below it with red blood.

"Please feel free to keep lying through your teeth, and you're also a pretty bad liar by the way. In fact, I implore you to do so. I have plenty of new tricks that I would simply love to try on one of Danzo's dogs."

Another bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the shack and the surroundings where the man was currently held captive in. And it is a good thing in itself that the shack was well out of the way in the small village of Shirokyu.

**

* * *

**Just outside the abandoned shack where the man currently held captive had the delight to have a personal meeting with Namikaze Shiki herself, the rest of Ragnarok winced visibly to themselves as the bloodcurdling screams and shrieks reached their ears and echoed around this abandoned and rural area of Shirokyu where they were currently docked and located at, just as they have been at for the past three days now.

Tenten shook her head with pity for the man, one of Danzo's agents, a member of the Roots organisation which had been giving them some major problems after Orochimaru and Oto's demise, and which Fuuma Arashi, one of Shiki's many spies and informants in her spy network, had the luck to run into some time back. Shino and Yugito both have the delight to capture the man for Shiki, though Yugito didn't exactly leave the man in a very desirable state, since Shiki didn't exactly specify the state of health that the man must be brought back in.

The rest of Ragnarok were currently all seated outside the shack which Neji had put up a barrier around which blocks out all sound and vision – basically hiding them from view. If anyone happened to pass by here, they wouldn't have seen anything but just a marshland where the shack is.

"Is it just me, or is Shiki more ruthless with the man than what I've noticed her to be, despite the man being a Ne agent?" Tenten pondered, playing with her dagger. "She never used to be like this. She would usually attack them in the mind by using some mind games, _not _physical pain. She's a master of the mind. She can literally turn a man to mush with just a look."

"Yeah," said Hinata with a sigh, exchanging looks with her cousin. "Shiki has been in a bad mood lately. She has been ever since Kankuro…" She trailed off, and the rest of Ragnarok stayed silent.

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Hisako, Japan_

It was raining again, and the steady sounds of the raindrops pattered down onto the glass windows of the boathouse which is Ragnarok's headquarters.

All of Ragnarok were currently in the first storey of their boathouse, relaxing about, though there is a considerably subdued atmosphere in the air. Shino was in front of his computer as usual, and Neji and Gaara were having another one of their games of shougi. Hinata and Temari were huddled together in a corner of the couch, reading some magazine together, giggling away together. Haku was reading a book about medical herbs beside Tenten who was sharpening one of her sharp pointy objects, whilst Yugito was curled up like a cat in a corner, watching the portable television currently clutched in her fingers. As for Shiki, she was curled up in a corner of the couch, reading a novel, though she was still on the same page for the past hour.

The novel that she is currently holding is one that she had just bought in the last town that they've just gone through nearly a week ago after stopping in Shirokyu when 'interrogating' that man before Gaara had literally made his body 'disappear' by using his powers, and Shiki had contacted Arashi to keep an eye out for any wandering Ne agent. But somehow, Shiki can't seem to concentrate on reading as one Uchiha Itachi kept revolving about in her mind, despite her desperate attempts to keep him _out _of it.

Shiki sighed inwardly to herself, resisting the urge to palm her face. _'What am I doing? I made my decision, so I should stick by it.'_

_But you wished to do so otherwise. _A tiny little voice spoke up in the back of her mind. _You want to stay by his side. More than anything, you just want to stay by his side._

'_No, I don't!'_

"Shiki, are you feeling alright?" Haku's concerned voice broke through her thoughts, and the redhead looked up only to see that every single one of her friends was looking at her with concern. "You looked rather pale."

"I'm—" Shiki was about to say 'I'm fine' to assure her friends, since even she knew that she had been acting out of sorts for awhile ever since Kankuro's death and the break-up with Itachi. All that stress from dealing with those two events, along with ANBU's stand of declaration against Ragnarok as well as all that issue with Ne and the Bijuu Shrine had been getting to her, and she knew that her temper is all up and down for the past two weeks which also explained why all her friends have been literally treading on eggshells around her as she had kicked just about anyone who had gotten on her bad side.

But before Shiki could even manage to get the first syllable of her sentence out, she felt a sudden nauseous feeling rising up from the pits of her abdomen, and could almost feel the bile rising up from the back of her throat.

Everyone in Ragnarok blinked in surprise when Shiki literally threw herself off the couch and fled up the stairs faster than even thought possible. A short while later, everyone heard the door of the bathroom slammed shut.

Haku exchanged confused looks with her friends before getting up from her position on the couch and heading up the stairs, being followed by Gaara. The others in Ragnarok wisely remained on the first storey as they knew that even if Shiki isn't feeling well, she would never tell them, unless the mentioned people are Haku, Gaara or Shino.

**

* * *

**Meanwhile, in one of the two bathrooms in the boathouse that the girls typically used, Shiki was bending over the sink, trying hard not to make anything come up.

She had been feeling sick and nauseous for awhile now, but had put it off as her coming down with something, maybe a cold or something else. Especially since Temari had just gone down with the flu a week ago, and had only just recovered, thanks to Hinata nursing her back to health. And Temari's depression over losing her brother wasn't helping matters either, though with that good cry session that she had on the night of Kankuro's death when Shiki was with her had seemed to help her handle it some.

The cold weather is settling in Japan, especially it being late September, and Haku and Hinata have both popped out to the nearest town the other day to get new coats, scarves and boots for everyone else, and Gaara had made sure that the heater in the boathouse was working properly in order to keep the place warmed up. Tenten had also gone grocery shopping with Neji to make sure that their cupboards were all stocked with plenty of food so that they wouldn't go hungry in case they were stranded in the boathouse because of bad weather.

Banging could be heard on the bathroom door just then, though Shiki didn't turn around, not trusting herself to _not_ throw up should she move. Haku's concerned voice sounded through the closed door just then.

"Shiki, is everything alright in there?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine! I'll be out in a moment."

Shiki turned on the tap and rinsed her mouth with the clear water as a bid to try _not_ to throw up before she turned the faucet off. She looked down at the sink as the water ran down the drain, staring at the droplets of water left behind. And for some reason or other, her thoughts quickly went to the night when Itachi had first confessed to her – on the night when they were at the island when Ragnarok were there in order to keep an eye on a client whose request that they've turned down.

_I was a fool. I thought that I can ignore it. But Fate decided otherwise. I knew…ever since that time at the beach…I knew that I carried feelings for you. But I tried to ignore it as I didn't want to lose our friendship._

Shiki bent over the sink, turning out Gaara's concerned voice asking if she is feeling alright. Her hands slowly clenched into fists whilst resting on the sides of the sink.

'_Please… Stop…!'_

_Please Shiki. Don't run from me._

'_I…I'm not running from anything…!' _Shiki thought, clenching her hands into fists so tightly that her knuckles actually turned white. _'It's just…'_

_You're running from him? Or from yourself? Or maybe from the truth of the matter? _A small voice spoke up at the back of her head. _You're just running from the truth._

'_I'm…not…!'_

Bile rise up in the back of her throat just then, and before Shiki can even do anything to force it back, she bent over the sink and emptied the contents of her stomach, expelling everything that she had eaten that day, and probably the last two days as well. But before she can even open her mouth to answer Gaara's anxious question, she felt sick once more, and expelled everything from her stomach until there was nothing left, eventually just dry heaving.

'_What is going on?' _Shiki thought to herself, rinsing her mouth with tap water and watching the water run down into the drain. _'Why have I been feeling like throwing up for the past few days?'_

She felt a sharp pain in her abdomen just then – almost like sharp hooks or knives were tearing through her abdomen, and Shiki clutched at the fabric of her shirt around her abdomen, biting down onto her lower lip to prevent herself from crying out in pain. She is no stranger to pain, having broken many a bone or even tore many a ligament, but this…she almost passed out from the sudden intense pain that overtook her.

Shiki suddenly felt a liquid-like substance flowing down her leg, and looked down only to almost pass out from the shock at seeing thick red blood flowing down her right leg, staining the bottom part of the pants that she had been wearing. But as her pants were dark coloured, it wasn't really that obvious.

'_W-What is going on?'_

Frantic banging soon sounded on the bathroom door, almost sounding like Haku or Gaara, or maybe even both of them, were currently trying to break the door down.

"Oi Shiki! Are you alright?" Haku called out, frantic.

Shiki bit down on her lower lip before stumbling over to the bathroom door, moving a shaking hand towards the lock of the door. "…Haku…Gaara…" Shiki managed to croak out, her voice sounding extremely dry, almost like she hadn't drank anything for days. "…please… Don't let anyone else know…"

"Shiki, are you alright in there?" Gaara's voice sounded through the door, sounding extremely worried. "You don't sound too good."

"…just you two. Don't…let anyone else know."

"Okay. Okay. I know. I won't let anyone else up here," said Haku quickly, with a hint of curiosity in her voice. "Can you at least unlock the door?"

Muffled voices that seemed to be far away reached Shiki's ears just then, and she recognised Neji's voice immediately.

"Hey Haku, Gaara! Is everything alright up there?"

"Y-Yeah!" Haku shouted back. "Just don't come up here! Any of you!"

Shiki was fighting with everything that she had to remain conscious as little grey spots were already starting to appear in her vision. She shook her head to try to clear her vision as she flicked the lock of the door, and as she did so, darkness overcome her, and she knew no more.

**

* * *

**The first thing that Shiki had noticed when coming back into the world of the living is that of the feeling of someone placing their hands onto her forehead, and a gentle warmth was surrounding her body. When her eyes were focused enough, she found that she is in the bedroom that all the girls shared between themselves, and that Haku was seated by her side, both hands over her head, focusing her healing power.

Like Hinata, part of Haku's powers allowed her to heal, as she had control over all three states of water – solid, gaseous and liquid, and water had healing properties after all.

Haku smiled wearily at Shiki as she saw that she's awake, and stopped her healing power. The ice maiden then turned towards Gaara who is standing in a corner of the darkened room whom Shiki hadn't noticed, with the sand user standing with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the wall.

"Gaara, can you please stand guard outside and make sure that no one comes in?" Haku enquired. "Just tell everyone that Shiki had a bit of the flu."

The look on Gaara's face told Shiki that he didn't buy that for one moment, but he nodded, and left the room, closing the door behind him. A very long silence fell before Haku sighed, and helped Shiki to sit up, and the redhead was surprised that someone had helped her to change her clothes whilst she was still unconscious.

"It wasn't the flu, was it?" Shiki asked quietly, and Haku sighed as she took Shiki's hands into hers and shook her head.

"No." Haku replied. She then looked straight into Shiki's eyes. "Shiki, I need you to remain calm over whatever that I'm going to tell you." She stated. "I think that it's best if the others do not learn of this, or they'll probably snap, considering the fact that they're all still trying to deal with Kankuro's death." Shiki nodded slowly, and Haku sighed, tightening her hold on Shiki's hands, and the redhead suddenly realised that Haku's hands were rather cold, inwardly wondering just how long the ice maiden had used her healing power. Haku sighed again. "Shiki, do you know that you're pregnant?"

Shiki stared at Haku for a long while, almost like she couldn't believe her ears, and her right hand automatically went to her abdomen. "…what?"

Haku sighed. "I'll take it that you didn't know then," she stated. "You're about three months along, but…you've lost it."

Shiki didn't show her emotions, but inwardly, a flurry of emotions was practically overloading her mind. Is that why she had been feeling so sick for the past few weeks? And why she couldn't seem to control her own temper when she is usually quite level headed?

"Who's the father, Shiki?" Haku asked bluntly, but Shiki merely stared at her best friend without saying anything, and the ice maiden sighed. "It's him, isn't it?" She stated more than asked, and Shiki nodded silently.

Somehow, the idea that she is—_was_ pregnant, hadn't totally sunk into her head. And the fact alone that she had practically killed her own child hadn't exactly sunk in either.

Most nin-users never chose to settle down and have a family, as they knew what it practically meant if their children ever inherited their abilities. Some of the nin-users with rather weak or average powers took the risk to settle down to have a family, and when it turns out that their children were nin-users as well, it always turned out bad.

_Major_ bad.

That's the whole reason why Shiki had never really thought about ever settling down or having her own family. She knew the dangers and risks involved of being a nin-user, being one herself. And not to mention that she, along with her friends, were all wanted by the ANBU, though they don't exactly know who they are.

Haku's sigh caused her to look at the ice maiden once more. "You should get some sleep," she said kindly. "I'll be here, so don't worry. You should rest for the time being. You had been overworking yourself for the past few days ever since Arashi had came with his information. You're too weak right now to do anything but rest. You hardly had the chance to take a break anyway, so make the most of it. We'll take over from here. Shino will know what to do with that whole informant business thing after all."

Shiki didn't like it, as she much preferred handling everything that had to do with her spy network and her informants personally, but she knew that Haku had a point. Even right now, she felt too weak to even stand on her own two feet, let alone running around to meet Arashi.

"Alright." Shiki sighed. "But if you have any problems, let me know immediately."

Haku nodded, helping Shiki to lie down properly, and covering her with the blankets. "Of course," she said reassuringly, tucking Shiki in.

And it wasn't that long before Shiki had fallen asleep, exhausted from that day. Haku sighed before turning towards the closed bedroom door, and the door swung opened just then, with Gaara stepping in, and closing it behind him, leaning on the door to keep it closed with his weight.

"I take it that you've heard everything?" Haku stated more than questioned, and Gaara nodded. "Can you watch over her? It's really too bad, but it looks like Tenten, Yugito and Hinata will have to bunk in with the rest of the boys tonight."

"Are you going?" Gaara questioned, and Haku nodded. "I won't stop you. But don't kill him."

"I know."

The ice maiden then stood up before taking Shiki's cellphone where it had been resting atop the dresser table in between the beds, and started scrolling down her list of contacts until she came to the name of one Uchiha Itachi. Haku then pressed on the 'call' button, and placed the phone to her ear.

Three rings later, the call was picked up, and a very anxious voice sounded through the earpiece, sounding rather breathless as he did so.

"_Shiki?"_

Haku was silent for several moments before she spoke. "Sorry to disappoint you, but no," she said, not sounding sorry in the least. "Are you Uchiha Itachi?"

"_That I am," _said Itachi on the other end of the line, sounding sorely disappointed, yet Haku couldn't find it in herself to care. _"And you are?"_

Haku said nothing for several moments before she spoke again, not answering his question. "Can we meet? I think that we need to meet face-to-face. Meet me at the shores of Hiraiko." _Click._

**XXXXXX**

_Two Hours Later  
Hiraiko_

Haku let the sea breeze blow through her hair, stuffing her hands into her pockets, bundled up in a thick coat to block out the cold wind, before she sensed rather than heard someone approaching her, and she then turned around to face the captain of the Akatsuki.

She fought hard to not show her surprise at the rather haggard-looking captain of the Akatsuki, with the guy looking older than he seems, and judging by the dark rings beneath his eyes, he doesn't seem to have slept well for days, if at all.

Did he really suffer this much ever since Shiki had broken things off with him? Did he really love her that much? Haku doesn't really understand. How can this guy love his own enemy, the leader of the organisation that all of ANBU had been after for years now?

"Uchiha Itachi?" Haku questioned, and Itachi nodded.

"Aren't you Kisame's younger sister?" Itachi asked. "We met before at the museum, didn't we?"

Haku fought hard to not show her expression on her face at the first mention of her older half-brother. She and Kisame-nii-sama may only be half-siblings, but they were still pretty close until the war had struck, and her brother who is about the only one apart from her mother who had actually cared for her, had gone off to fight in the war. Haku might be very young then, but she still remembered her brother. Thus, she was both shocked and surprised when she had met her brother again after all these years of thinking that he had died in the war as a member of the Akatsuki, an ANBU agent.

Haku closed her eyes before opening them again, taking one step towards Itachi, not worried in the least that the guy in front of her is said to be the ANBU's most powerful, with the ice maiden pretty confident in her own abilities. And furthermore, her abilities are a bad matchup for Uchiha Itachi's fire abilities.

"My name is Haku." Haku stated. "Shisei Haku. I'll go straight to the point then." She narrowed her eyes slightly at Itachi who flinched slightly. "Did you sleep with Shiki before?" She asked bluntly.

Itachi almost choked on his spit as he stared at Haku incredulously, and a faint flush of red was slowly creeping on his face. "W-What kind of question is that?" he nearly spluttered.

"Just answer it." Haku insisted, not feeling very amused by Itachi's reaction. "Did. You. Sleep. With. Her?" She drew out each syllable of her question, though _demand _might be a better word for it.

Itachi looked away so that he wouldn't see the dangerous glare on Haku's face.

He is well aware that that Neji guy didn't look at him with such favourable eyes as well, judging by the results of their last meeting. But this Haku girl too? Just what did he do wrong to have all of Shiki's friends hate him so much? On the other hand, he thinks that he does know. It had probably stemmed from the part that he had played in their friend's death.

"Yeah, I did."

"How long ago was it?"

Is it just Itachi, or did the temperature of the surroundings suddenly fell drastically that it made him feel as if he is in the North Pole?

"A-About three months ago, I guess." Itachi mumbled, wondering what is so important about it. "Give or take a few weeks."

Haku sighed loudly, and Itachi turned back towards her only to see that the ice maiden was pinching the bridge of her nose to lessen her headache. "Okay, I'm going to make this as easy and as less awkward for you as possible," said Haku irritably, turning towards Itachi. "I assume that you know all about that birds and bees stuff, and that some adult had at _least _given you 'the talk' at least once in your lifetime?" Itachi nodded, flushing slightly. Haku sighed. "Then do you at least _know _how babies are made?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yes, but what has that got to do with—" Itachi's eyes widened when he realised what Haku is trying to tell him. "Oh kami!"

"'Oh kami' is the right word." Haku muttered sarcastically.

"So…" Itachi blinked nervously at the murderous aura that the girl in front of him is currently emanating. "She's pregnant?"

"Was." Haku corrected, and Itachi's eyes widened. "Not any longer. And before you had any strange ideas, no, Shiki didn't go for an abortion. That girl didn't even _know _that she's pregnant!" Haku pinched the bridge of her nose. "She's been awfully stressed for the past two weeks, especially with everything that is happening, and our enemies that is _not _the ANBU had been giving us some problems as well. All of that happening one after the other, along with your 'little contribution' had caused her stress level to shoot up, and she's been awfully short tempered with just about everyone lately. Though I guess I can understand why her mood swings had been at an all time high of late." Haku muttered the last part. "No. She had a…miscarriage a few hours ago."

Itachi's eyes widened. "…what?"

"You heard me right the first time unless you have some problems with your hearing." Haku muttered sarcastically. "She. Had. A. Miscarriage. And it is _all your fault!" _She hissed at Itachi who was taken aback by this sudden accusation. "I am like Ragnarok's doctor, along with one other who I'm not going to name. As such, I'm pretty well versed with all things medical. Miscarriages that had occurred can be due to several elements, not necessarily physical falls. It can be due to emotional stress as well. Like high stress level or even depression for instance."

Haku put up two fingers as she did so, and Itachi paled considerably as he understood what Haku is trying to tell him. The ice maiden looked sternly at him. "You understand, don't you? _Both _of which Shiki had been suffering from for the past two goddamn weeks! Her mood swings have been all over the place lately, and I guess I can understand why now. You as good as killed your own child."

"I…didn't…" Itachi said weakly.

Haku looked sternly at him. "You're going to have to make a choice soon enough," she said bluntly. "I'm pretty sure that you had been following the news of late. That commander of yours had placed capturing Ragnarok as a top priority mission for all ANBU agents. We won't get caught as long as we don't wish to be found, but even you can't deny the fact that sooner or later, ANBU and Ragnarok are going to have to meet on the battlefield. I don't like you. In fact, I detest you. Part of it is due to Kankuro. The other half is that you are the only guy who had hurt Shiki like this so badly! And I don't mean physically."

Itachi flinched back almost like he had just been struck.

"I can't say or do anything if my best friend loves you so much. I don't like it, but even I know that love can't be forced." Itachi looked surprised at that, and Haku almost snorted. "I know the reason why she broke up with you. Kankuro's death is the thing that triggered it. She had wanted to break it off with you for some time now."

"Why?"

"Because you are the enemy." Haku stated, and Itachi looked hurt. "Or at least, you are _with_ the enemy. Those in Ragnarok who knew of you didn't like the idea that the both of you are together. We feared that Shiki would get hurt in the end as we knew that your relationship wouldn't work out. And we were right. But if you really love her, you're going to have to make a choice soon enough: Shiki or the ANBU. Make a choice."

"I…can't…" Itachi said weakly, looking at Haku. "It's…impossible to leave the ANBU. Once in, you are in it for life. You can't leave without being dismissed by them, usually through death."

"And I am well aware of it," said Haku bluntly. She then sighed. "Well, I've said what I've came to say. Think about it. The invisible war between Ragnarok and ANBU is slowly becoming more visible by the day. It wouldn't take long before there is a full-blown war between us. You're going to have to make your choice then. But even if you choose to stand on Shiki's side, I doubt that the rest will forgive you for what you've done to Kankuro. I don't even know if Shiki will forgive you. I was there when you killed Kankuro. I _know _how he had died. But to be fair, even if you had never landed the finishing blow on Kankuro, he would have died anyway." Haku muttered that last part, but Itachi heard her. "Think about what I've just said, and make your choice."

Haku then walked past Itachi, but before she could leave the shore, Itachi spoke, stopping Haku in her tracks. The Uchiha then turned to face Haku.

"You said all this about me and Shiki, and I can tell that you care deeply about her. I can guess that all of Ragnarok probably cared as deeply for her like you did. But what about you? What about Kisame? He's your brother, isn't he? I know that I can never raise a hand against Shiki. But what about you? Kisame had spent years searching for you. If the two of you ever faced each other on the battlefield, what are _you _going to do?"

Haku didn't say anything for several moments, and when she spoke at last, she didn't turn around. "As far as I'm concerned, he is the one who had killed my friend," she said emotionlessly. "I will never forgive him for this. I _will _kill him." She looked over her shoulder to face Itachi, and the Uchiha was taken aback by the dangerous look in her eyes. "And that, is a promise that I will keep."

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Hiraiko, Japan_

One week later, Shiki was already over her 'flu', though some of the more observant ones like Neji and Shino have noticed that she's much more subdued and quiet than usual.

And as such, Namikaze Shiki could be found sitting on the rooftop of the boathouse well past midnight, with her jacket draped around her shoulders, as she knew that Haku will throw a fit if she ever found out that Shiki had gone out in the wind _without_ her jacket.

Truthfully, Shiki didn't know what to think.

The…child that she had lost awhile back is like an extension of herself – almost like a distant memory of Itachi. She would be lying if she said that it didn't affect her. But then again, she didn't allow herself to grieve properly as she knew that as leader, she can't let her friends see her cry or even show any form of weakness.

She can't.

"Shiki?"

Shiki turned around only to see Neji approaching her, a curious look on his face. Shiki smiled a small smile at him, though she didn't really feel like smiling. "Hey Neji." She then turned her gaze back towards the seawaters in front of her, tightening her arms around her knees.

"You feeling better?" Neji asked with concern, sitting down beside her, and Shiki nodded quietly. "That's good." He said with relief. "You rarely get sick. This is the first time that you've fallen sick, I do believe. The flu sure has been going around."

Shiki said nothing to that. As nin-users, their immune system were stronger than that of ordinary humans, and were thus able to fight off diseases and illnesses far easier than any other human. But also, if they ever fell sick, it will be much more serious for them.

Light footsteps reached both their ears just then, and both Neji and Shiki turned only to see Shino appearing behind them, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his coat. The insect user studied them both for several moments before sighing. "Shiki, are you well enough to head out on a job?" he asked, and Shiki nodded. "Good." Shino sighed before tilting a thumb over his shoulder. "Because we've got a request."

**

* * *

**"The client is someone named Kitayama Yui." Shino was saying the next morning, being seated at the kitchen table with his laptop on the tabletop before him, with the rest of Ragnarok all standing around him, looking at the screen of the computer over his shoulder. The insect user clicked on the mouse before two new windows showed up on the screen – one was the information database that Shino had created, the other is the request email that the client had sent to them the previous night. "We've received this request late last night, and as the rest of you were all in bed, Shiki sent Neji to investigate instead. The request came from a citizen living in the small town in the north-west region of Japan – Kinryoku."

"What's the request about?" asked Yugito with a frown.

All of Ragnarok knew that whoever their victim is this time, he or she will probably be the one that will suffer the worst pain out of all their previous victims so far, especially because of the current mood of all Ragnarok members. They needed to blow off some steam, and what better way to do that than to exact their vengeance on an unfortunate victim of their client?

Shino frowned at this. "A…rather unusual one, this time around," he said warily.

The rest of Ragnarok turned to look at Neji and Shiki – the only two who knew what the request was about only to see Shiki snort slightly and turned her head away, her arms crossed over her chest. Neji was looking out of the window, refusing to look at any of them, though by the way that the muscles in his neck tightened considerably, anyone with eyes and half a brain to go with it could tell that he is pissed.

"What is?" asked Hinata, frowning slightly at her cousin's strange behaviour.

Shino sighed before clicking on a link in the information database, and an image of a news report appeared on the screen. The date of the newspaper was dated back nearly two weeks ago, with the newspaper being the main one that all citizens in the town of Kinryoku read, and the headlines of the paper was that of a college student around the age of nineteen or so who had committed suicide by slicing his wrists.

"The client is the younger sister of the guy who had committed suicide nearly two weeks ago. The guy's name is Kitayama Hien." Shino explained, pointing at the screen. "I only knew what details that I knew about the suicide from this newspaper, and even Neji couldn't find out a lot, only that the guy supposedly killed himself because he was jilted in love."

"Let me guess, our target this time is the client's brother's ex-girlfriend?" Haku scrunched her nose up in distaste.

Shino nodded. "You got it right in one," he said. "But here is where the problems begin for us." All of Ragnarok sans for Shiki and Neji turned towards Shino in confusion. "We have our rules to follow – rules that were set up by us at the time of Ragnarok's founding, and which every single one of us had followed so far without failure. If we follow by the rules, rules dictate that we have to eliminate the target of the client's vengeance _if _it is truly an injustice. But here is where things start to get troublesome _if _we carry it out, because of who the ex-girlfriend is."

"Shino, stop speaking in riddles, and spit it out!" Temari snapped.

Shiki sighed, and everyone turned towards her just then. The redhead exchanged glances with Shino before turning towards the rest of her friends. "The target this time is a girl by the name of Haruno Sakura," she answered, and everyone paled immediately.

Shino silently opened a new screen of the database window, and a photo shoot of the mentioned girl showed up on the screen, along with very detailed information about her background as well as personal information.

"Haruno Sakura?" Gaara echoed Shiki's words. "If I'm not mistaken, isn't she a member of that Rendoku team, one of the two nin-user teams from the ANBU?"

Shiki sighed and nodded. "Yes," she said. "And that's when things start to get troublesome." She turned towards her friends. "We've practically declared a stand against the ANBU. But this girl isn't a part of that Akatsuki team. What do you want to do about this request?"

There was silence for several moments before Gaara broke the silence. "Asking us what do we wish to do about this request? It isn't like you, Shiki," he said, turning towards the other redhead. "It should be obvious."

"That's right," said Yugito with a smirk.

"We are Ragnarok." Tenten put in. "We have our duty to fulfil."

"That's how it is, Shiki," said Hinata with a smile.

Shiki sighed but smiled, nodding. "I guess I shouldn't really be surprised," she said. She then turned towards Neji. "Neji, we'll be docking at Kinryoku. I want you to try to wheedle out some information about the client's desire on vengeance on that ANBU girl before we make any decisions. Can you do it?"

Neji raised a brow but nodded.

"But before we actually head out on this request, I want all of you to listen to me for a minute or two," said Shiki seriously, and everyone turned towards her, even Shino had turned around from his computer. "I've never told you guys what the Ne agent that we've caught a few days back had said, save for the fact that he didn't know where the base of Roots is. But that isn't all that he's said." Shiki paused, taking in the face of each person in front of her. "He told me a little of Danzo's plans. The guy that we've caught is one of the small fry, thus, he wasn't let into all the details, but what he knew is more than enough for me to put the pieces together."

"And?" Gaara asked slowly. "What is Danzo's plan?"

Shiki sighed. "You guys know of the Bijuu Shrines, and that we've been sealing all those shrines up one by one, even though it is a long process, as each sealing can easily sap more than half of our energy," she stated, and everyone nodded. "Danzo had some…plans for the Bijuu Shrine, and when I say the Bijuu Shrine, I meant the main one – the one at the Forbidden Forest. I don't know how Danzo even knew of its existence, and what he even plans to do with it, but you don't go after the Bijuu Shrine for a tea party."

"You think that he wants to use the power of the Bijuu Nine for something undesirable?" Haku questioned, and Shiki nodded.

"That's it in a sense," said Shiki with a sigh. "We've been after Ne for some time now. You know what those guys can do, and what they _will _do when forced into a corner. Some of their spies had actually infiltrated the ANBU as well. But it is only now that we knew of Danzo's plans. I won't force you to partake in this battle against Ne and Danzo. Take your time to make your decision. This is going to be a long battle, and a damn bloody one. Some of us will probably die. We will probably not. But make no mistake, this…_battle _is going to change history. Nin-users will probably be remembered for the good or for the bad, I don't know. But if you ever decide to leave after this, I won't blame you, and I won't deny you that as well."

Shiki smiled at the dumbfounded faces that greeted her. "We've spent six years together. That's more than long enough for me. If truth be told, I'm actually surprised that none of you had left before this. Make your decision, and then tell me. I'll give you time until the end of this request. Because we're going to have to make our move against ANBU and Ne soon enough, and then, it'll then be time for the battle. But regardless of your decision, I will still go on with it, alone or not. As nin-users, we have a responsibility to stop them."

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Kinryoku, Japan_

It was nearly noon, with the sun at its highest point in the sky when the boathouse pulled into the docks at the town of Kinryoku. The town was a trading port town, with traders and tourists always coming and going, mostly by boat, thus, their boathouse didn't really attract a lot of attention when they pulled in at the port.

Everyone watched as Neji pulled on a dark green coat, especially with the cold autumn winds blowing about, and the raven haired teen then left the boathouse, ready to do his part of the job. A very long silence befell them all before Shino turned back to his computer, ready to do his research part of the job. Shiki then sighed before moving towards the door as well, pulling on her dark blue coat.

"I'll be heading out."

The remaining members all sighed and exchanged glances with each other as the door closed behind Shiki, and Haku sighed. "Shiki's suffering too, isn't she?"

Hinata nodded. "Yeah."

**

* * *

**_Kinryoku Park  
Kinryoku, Japan_

It didn't really take Neji all that long to find their client – Kitayama Yui.

The town of Kinryoku wasn't all that large, despite it being a trading port town, and he soon found the client sitting in one of the swings at the Kinryoku Park which is pretty deserted, probably due to the fact of the cold chilling winds that autumn in Japan always brings.

Silently, Neji went towards the girl and sat down in the other empty swing beside Yui. He took vague amusement in the fact that Yui's head snapped up, and she glared at Neji. "Go away."

"I'll rather not if you don't mind," said Neji, hiding a grin. "You look like you're in need of a listening ear. People always told me that I'm a good listener. If you don't mind, I can loan you a listening ear."

Yui stared at Neji suspiciously. "You're not a reporter, are you?" she asked suspiciously, and Neji shook his head. She sighed. "Suit yourself. Everyone in town knows about the story anyway. But what they don't know is the reason behind my brother's suicide."

"Can you tell me?"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." Yui muttered, swinging slightly on the swing. "It all began six months ago. My parents died in the war when I was pretty young, and my brother brought me up. We were pretty close, and we told each other everything. My brother is a kind hearted person and always popular with his friends. But he always had trouble with the girls. Apparently, he is just too kind to people. That's why, when he came home that one day nearly six months ago, with his girlfriend in tow, I was happy for him. I thought that he'd found his happiness at last."

"And where did he meet this girl?" asked Neji, intrigued with how a seemingly normal civilian had met an ANBU agent. As a rule, ANBU nearly never show themselves unless they're off duty.

"At a friend's party or something that is held at a pub in the next town over." Yui shrugged her shoulders. "That girl was slightly younger than my brother, about sixteen or seventeen. They hit it off pretty well at that party, according to my brother, and it wasn't that long after that when they started dating. But then…"

"She played with your brother's heart."

"That's right." Yui gritted her teeth in fury, angry tears falling from her eyes. "Apparently, she had never liked my brother. That girl only went for him because he looks so much like the boy that she had been lusting after like a fox in heat ever since she was twelve! My brother…is just a replacement for him! My brother never did anything to her! But he is also so kind and gentle that he simply couldn't take the fact that someone had played with his feelings and heart that he…choose to end his life."

Yui wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "I can't stand it. It was only later that I found out that the girl is ANBU. Even if I wanted to do anything to her, I can't without dire consequences. That's why I decided on the next best thing: I contacted Ragnarok. But they never appeared. According to rumours on the Web, they nearly always appeared to you immediately or even sent you an acceptance message after receiving their request. So then, why? Why did they reject my request? That girl deserved to die!"

Neji studied Yui intently. He kind of felt sorry for the girl as well. "Yui-san, you kind of got it wrong," said Neji, and Yui stared at him as the teen got up from his swing and turned his head to look at her. "You've gotten Ragnarok's modus operandi wrong."

"W-What do you mean?" asked Yui, perplexed.

"Twila and Ragnarok don't always accept your request right away," said Neji, a smirk pulling at the ends of his lips. "And Twila don't always respond to you right away upon receiving a request."

"Eh?"

"Sometimes…" Neji smirked at Yui. "Sometimes, she sends people like us to listen to the voice of your heart."

Yui's eyes widened. "Then, you're…"

Neji nodded. "I've listened to the voice of your heart, and your desire for vengeance coincidentally falls alongside Ragnarok's wishes and duties, as well as our own rules. I see no reason that we should turn this request down," he said before fishing out his cellphone from his pocket and dialling a number. Three rings later, the call was picked up. "It's me. The request is valid."

On the other end of the line, Shiki sighed. _"It's just as well," _she said, and judging by the background sounds on her side of the line, she was currently outside.

Neji frowned. "Why?"

Shiki's next words almost gave him a heart attack.

"_Because the target is right in front of me right now."_

**XXXXXX**

_Unknown Location  
Japan_

Shiki hung up the call from Neji, and slipped her cellphone into her pocket. All without taking her eyes off the pink haired girl standing right in front of her.

The two were currently in some plains just south of the town of Kinryoku. Shiki had practically sensed the girl almost as soon as she had started following her through the town, and the redhead had promptly led her out here so that if a fight was to break out, no innocent people would be dragged into the crossfire.

"Am I to assume that you're Twila?" Haruno Sakura demanded.

Shiki raised an eyebrow. "I won't ask how you'd found that out, but yes," she said, knowing quite well that this information wouldn't have come from Itachi. If so, then how the hell did she find out? "Is there anything that you need?"

"One question first," said Sakura with a growl in her voice. "Why did you and Ragnarok do what you did?"

Shiki barely restrained a groan. Itachi had asked her the same question when he had first figured out who she is. What is it with ANBU agents and killing? I mean, didn't they do the same thing as well? Then who are they to declare Ragnarok as 'evil'?

"Humans are sinful creatures."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Who do you even think that you are to decide who lives and who dies?" she demanded. "You're nothing but a cold blooded murderer!"

"Maybe," said Shiki, not really feeling all that affected by Sakura's words. "But how different is the ANBU from us? You fuckers from the ANBU failed to protect the nin-users of this country time and again. At times, you even ignored their suffering, because it wouldn't benefit you. If the ANBU wouldn't protect them, then we shall do it for you."

"You…!"

"And it's really too bad for you, Haruno Sakura," said Shiki, and she hid a smirk at the widening of eyes from the pink haired girl. "We've just received a request last night. And the target of the client's ire is you. You pushed her brother to suicide, and that makes you as good as a 'cold blooded murderer' yourself. And it is rather unfortunate." Shiki moved one foot backwards. "But when we accept a request, we fulfil it to the end. And I only have one request of you, and that is to resist…please. And truthfully, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Though personally, I prefer the hard way, as you bastards from the ANBU had _a lot _to answer for, especially for what you've done to us, and the fact that you've killed one of our own! You mess with one of us, you deal with all of us! And I think that your body will be a nice little reminder to the ANBU that they shouldn't fuck with us!"

Sakura looked almost ready to hyperventilate, and Shiki hid a smile at that. "I am an ANBU!" she hissed. "Do you seriously think that you can do anything against me?"

Shiki resisted the urge to roll her eyes at this incredibly dense girl. Is that large forehead of hers just for show? Does she even have a brain in that thing that she calls a head?

"Were you sleeping during that time when you ANBU faced some of my comrades during that data disk mission?" she asked sarcastically. "Surely you must know some of the extent of their ability. And you seriously think that I, as their leader, can't do anything against a pathetic ANBU like you? At least the agents from the Akatsuki can still give me some trouble. But you? What can _you _do?"

That taunt seemed to be the final straw for Sakura, and she dashed at Shiki with a shriek, her right hand balled into a fist, aiming it straight at Shiki's head who dodged out of the way before grasping Sakura's right arm and turning the girl around, pinning her to the ground on the knees by holding down onto the back of her neck.

"W-What the—?"

"I hope that you're only joking around," said Shiki with a sigh, sorely disappointed with this level of skill displayed by the pink haired girl. "Some of your comrades from Rendoku could give some of my comrades a good fight. What about you? What else are you good for apart from boy chasing? And you really shouldn't underestimate me. There's a reason why I'm Ragnarok's captain, and why I'm able to go one-on-one with the current captain of Akatsuki. What makes you think that you can even defeat me single-handedly?"

Sakura growled low in her throat, fighting to escape Shiki's hold on her and on her right arm, but to no avail. "Don't underestimate me!" she growled. "I am still an ANBU, and there is no way in hell that I would beg for my life! And there is also no way that I would let myself get killed by a tyrant like you!"

"I think that you should use that word to describe yourself," said Shiki calmly, not really feeling all that affected by Sakura's words. "You drove a person to suicide just because of your selfishness. I think that I'll probably be doing the world a favour by ridding them of your filth!"

"Don't joke around!" Sakura growled, her left hand going to the zipper of her jacket. "I'll rather die by my own hands, than be taken by you! Die, Twila!"

Shiki's eyes widened when Sakura got free from her hold, and tugged the zipper of her jacket down only to reveal tones of dynamite and bombs strapped onto her body.

'_Shit—'_

KABOOM!

**

* * *

**Running through the town of Kinryoku, Gaara and Haku were in a frantic search for Shiki ever since Neji had called ten minutes earlier, informing them that Shiki is currently facing the ANBU member that is currently on their list…alone.

Shino is currently trying to close in on Shiki's location by sending some of his little insect friends out to search, but there is no news yet. The sound of a loud explosion nearly five miles south of the town of Kinryoku caught the attention of both Gaara and Haku just then, along with nearly every single inhabitant in the town, and the two sighed.

"I guess we've found her." Gaara stated.

**

* * *

**Gaara and Haku both made it to the point of the explosion with record time only to see a large plume of smoke wafting from the ground where a giant crater could be seen – almost like a meteor had just landed. The two then watched with bated breaths before the smoke was blown away, and a coughing Shiki could be seen crawling out from the giant crater, with her jacket almost being completely shredded.

"You're still alive?" Gaara enquired as he pulled Shiki out of the giant crater.

"Just barely." Shiki muttered, turning towards the giant crater where the smoke was slowly dispersing. "If I hadn't thrown up a protective shield at the last moment, I would probably have been a goner. That girl…" Shiki stared at the broken and prone body of one Haruno Sakura lying in the middle of the giant crater whose body is barely recognisable save for the pink hair. "I didn't expect her to be so persistent."

"We should hurry up and get going." Haku stated, turning towards the two. "An explosion of this magnitude is bound to attract the ANBU's attention. We should leave."

"Well, not before we leave them a message," said Shiki with an evil grin which simply sent shudders down Haku and Gaara's spines when they saw it, and the two immediately felt sorry for the poor ANBUs who had gotten on Shiki's bad side. "An eye for an eye, as they always say."

**XXXXXX**

_Two Hours Later  
South of Kinryoku_

ANBU agents from both Akatsuki and Rendoku soon surrounded the area where the explosion had came from two hours after receiving frantic phone calls from the citizens of the town of Kinryoku. Two hours because that's about the length of time that is required for them to head over to the town from Leaf City.

"Oh god…" Ino muttered, leaning onto Chouji as she had suddenly felt faint and weak in the knees when she recognised that pink hair of the unrecognisable body immediately. "Sakura…"

The rest of Rendoku watched grimly.

Sakura was never a popular member among them as she does nothing but hit the boys on the head and fawn after Sasuke, but she is still one of their comrades in arms, and an ANBU agent that had sworn to uphold the peace of the country and to protect Japan from inside and outside threats.

"Looks like there is a battle here." Shikamaru analysed, studying the surroundings immediately.

"Not quite," said Deidara, the fire arms expert among them who had hopped down to the middle of the crater to examine the damage. He looked up at his comrades. "It seems like Sakura had strapped explosives to her body as a desperate attempt to kill her opponent, whoever that is." He explained, pointing down at Sakura's barely recognisable body. "That's why she had blown nearly half of her body apart, and there is blood everywhere."

"But who is her opponent?" asked Sasori, and Shikamaru shrugged.

"There's a message here," said Kisame, and everyone turned towards where the water nin-user had been eyeing – which is the bloodstains by his foot where he had been standing. Upon closer look, everyone could see that those bloodstains spelt out words.

Itachi read the words out loud for everyone to hear. "'An eye for an eye. A life for a life. Blood can only be washed away by more blood. You ANBU started this. Don't blame us for ending it this way. You wanted a fight. We'll give you a war. The game starts now. Let's play'."

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Hiraiko, Japan_

Later that night, news of that explosion and the demise of the ANBU were all over the news, and newspaper reports were also full of Ragnarok's involvement in this, and that Ragnarok had finally had enough of ANBU's declaration that they're 'evil' and of their ways of bringing them to 'justice'.

And as such, Shiki just had to go to the rooftop of the boathouse to have a breather or two, especially since Yugito, Neji and Temari weren't pleased with how the ANBU had portrayed them when it is the fucking ANBU who had first instigated this fight and invisible war between them!

"_Kiss me sweet… I'm sleeping in silence… All alone…in ice and snow—"_

Shiki sighed as she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket, knowing quite well who her caller is, and she saw that she had hit the nail on the head when she saw the word 'Itachi' flashing on the LCD screen of her cellphone and sighed. She then decided to answer it.

"What is it? And didn't I tell you to stop calling me?"

Itachi was silent for several moments before he spoke. _"Why? Why did you do that to Sakura?"_

"You know damn well why." Shiki almost hissed. "If you're asking me to just stand there and let myself get killed by that pathetic excuse of an ANBU agent, then you've got another thing coming! I've told you before: if you people from the ANBU ever raise your hand against us, then we'll fight back. And we'll fight with all our might."

"_If it's because of that time with your friend—"_

"It's part of the reason." Shiki cut him off.

"_Why?"_

"I've told you before," said Shiki bluntly. "All humans have darkness in their hearts. All humans are sinful creatures. Hatred, be hated, and hating others. It's a never ending cycle. Hatred only gives birth to more hatred. I've seen that plenty of times. It's a never ending cycle. Fear breeds hatred, hatred breeds spite, and spite breeds wrath. Can you tell me that this is wrong?"

"_T-That is…"_

Shiki sighed. "I've told you this before, Itachi, and I'm saying this again. Cease all contact with me. It's better for both of us this way." _Click._

The redhead then looked at the stars in the sky before sighing and getting to her feet. That phone call from Itachi had the instant effect to put her in a bad mood. She then sighed before deciding to head back inside the boathouse, especially since it is getting colder.

Shiki could hear the babble of her friends who were all on the first storey of the boathouse when she headed back inside, and she then walked down the stairs to the first storey where they looked at her the moment that she had entered, and all conversation immediately stilled.

Shiki sighed inwardly at this. What is this now? Had she suddenly become Moses parting the Red Sea or something?

Her friends exchanged looks between themselves before Gaara stepped forward, a serious look on his face, and Shiki raised an eyebrow. Gaara then took in a deep breath before speaking.

"We've made our decision, Shiki."

Shiki raised an eyebrow. She most definitely didn't expect for them to come to a decision that quickly. Sure, she had said that they only have only the end of the request, but still…

"And what is that decision?" she asked. "And please bear in mind that once we embark on this, there is no going back."

"We know," said Gaara with a nod. He then took in a deep breath before speaking once more, looking at Shiki in the eye. "We've decided, Shiki. We will follow you. Right to the end."

* * *

_A/N: I think that this is one of the longest chapters that I've written! The war between the ANBU and Ragnarok has hereby begun, and what is Danzo up to? Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_Have you never wonder where all those of Ne and Orochimaru's supporters during the war go?"_

"_You're working with the people who you have fought against during the war."_

"_This time, the killings have nothing to do with us. It has been giving us problems as well."_

"_I know who had killed your parents, Shiki, along with the others."_

"_It can't be helped. As long as there are hatred and darkness in people's hearts…Ragnarok will live on."_


	21. Stadt der lebenden Toten

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Twenty One: Stadt der lebenden Toten**

The couple walked slowly down the softly lit street, taking time in their stroll at this time of the night. The two were part of the Chieftain Council that supports the ANBU politically with their political leverage within the country of Japan. And the two have just returned from a meeting held with the High Council, the Chieftain Council as well as the two leaders of the ANBU organisation. The whole point of the meeting is about Ragnarok once again, and it is always this matter that caused the council members to take up sides.

One side does not wish for Ragnarok to go after them, and they do not wish to be on Ragnarok's bad side. Besides, it is a fact that Ragnarok never hurts the innocents, and only went after the guilty and wicked. The other side hates the idea that Ragnarok seemed to be playing them for fools, and it is a fact that several members of the public have been openly mocking the ANBU.

Thus, the entire meeting turned out to be one huge joke.

The entire meeting had lasted the entire day, lasting well into the night, and now, the couple just wanted to go home and take a nice hot bath and go to sleep.

But apparently, the fates had something else in store for them.

A figure had intercepted them from out of nowhere in the bleak darkness, and the two immediately took a step backwards out of instinct.

"W-What the…?"

There was no warning – before either of them had an idea of what was going on, a blade had already driven itself into the man's heart. The young woman with him gasped in horror as the assassin released her companion, turning towards her. She quickly lowered herself to his side as he collapsed, but it was futile, and too late. That one stab had been instant death.

"No…" The woman gasped. "No… No… This can't be happening…!"

The bloodstained blade gleaming in the moonlight brought her out of her grief for a moment, causing her to look up at her would-be killer. Two figures were now closing in on her. With the dark marks crisscrossing all over their bodies and faces, she recognised them immediately. Unfortunately, it would be in her final moments.

"That's…impossible…!" The woman whispered in fear, trying to move away as they approached her, but it is futile. "You are…! Impossible…!"

The woman's dying scream could then be heard for miles.

**XXXXXX**

"That makes fifteen councillors now."

"You must be kidding."

It was in the early afternoon in the ANBU headquarters in Leaf City, two days later.

As soon as news about the mysterious deaths of councillor members in the Chieftain Council reached the ears of the ANBU commander, Senju Tsunade had called for an emergency meeting with some of her best ANBU agents in the hopes of an immediate solution to this. Currently, those in her office were four of her best agents which included Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru.

"There are lots of things that I kid about, Itachi, but this isn't one of them." Kisame replied solemnly. "The world sure is getting dangerous out there."

Itachi sighed, massaging his temples to ease his headache. "Council members getting murdered left and right? And all in the span of two weeks?" he muttered. "It is almost like the mastermind is trying to put a message across to the ANBU or something with all these murders. And those victims were among ANBU's biggest supporters."

Tsunade frowned, lacing her fingers before her mouth. "Ragnarok, perhaps?" she suggested coolly.

Shikamaru, the unofficial tactician of the ANBU shook his head at that immediately. "No, I don't think so," he said. "This isn't their style. In the past, no matter what ANBU had done to them, they never did something of this magnitude before. They might get back at us by hitting us in our pride or economically, but never with human lives. They would never harm an innocent. It is way beneath their honour."

"But still, we _did _kill one of their numbers a few months ago. What is to say that it isn't them?" asked Tsunade with a frown.

"If it is indeed them, then they would have done something like this much earlier instead of waiting for nearly five months," said Sasuke, backing his teammate up. "I agree with Shikamaru. This isn't their usual modus operandi. All their victims in the past, sans for Orochimaru, died from massive blood loss and their injuries from extreme torture. But the councillor victims for the past two weeks died from one stab in the heart. We're not dealing with any amateurs here. Granted, Ragnarok could probably do something like this easily as well, but I really don't think that it's them this time."

Tsunade frowned. "Fine, since all four of you are saying the same thing, I'll take that as the truth for now," she said grudgingly. "I want a full and thorough investigation on this. Dismissed."

The four ANBU agents then filed out of the ANBU commander's office, with the four agents going their separate ways after that – with Sasuke and Shikamaru heading back to their own team's meeting room, with Itachi and Kisame doing the same.

"By the way, Itachi," said Kisame in a low voice as they stopped in the middle of the hallway with Itachi turning towards him. "Zetsu's in town. He's at The Locket. If you ask him, he might know something about this."

**

* * *

**The Locket is an elite bar in Leaf City where ANBU agents usually frequented. And as such, fights and underworld dealings rarely take place in The Locket, unlike all the other bars in the capital city of Japan. One must be feeling suicidal if they decided to risk their lives and their heads to exchange some underhanded dealings in a bar whose main customers are usually ANBU agents.

And as such, on one Saturday night, one could find Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame heading into the bar, both currently in search of one of the best informants and spies in the underworld circle, Zetsu.

There are both pros and cons in dealing with informants, like how everyone who uses informants knew. Unlike the ANBU agents and people who swore allegiance to an organisation, informants are not loyal to anyone. They are like a free spirit, doing whatever they wish without any consequences whatsoever. Zetsu is the same way, as he basically sells information to people for a fee, and he _is _one of the best informants in the country, as he could literally get any information on anyone that he wants to, sans for Ragnarok themselves.

The two ANBU agents immediately started looking around the bar once they've entered, waving off a waitress who had offered to show them to an empty table. Itachi who had considerably better eyes than Kisame spotted Zetsu first who was sitting in a corner at a half-shadowed table, wearing a cloak that covered his face. Silently, the two approached the table and sat down in the chairs before it.

It was a good five minutes before Zetsu spoke up. "I thought that I'll be seeing you guys around here soon enough," he said. "It's about the recent killings that had sent a nation-wide frenzy in the country, isn't it?"

Kisame nodded. "What do you know about that?" he asked.

Zetsu sighed before lowering his hood from his face. "It has nothing to do with Ragnarok this time around," he said, and the two ANBUs nodded. "I'm not really sure who is behind it, as whoever is the mastermind had been covering up his tracks really well. And it is also only a rumour that had been going around, but apparently, Ragnarok and Twila isn't really happy with the killings. And last that I've heard, they have been investigating the murders, and knew a lot more about it than anyone else does. How they could know more than anyone else, I have no idea, but that organisation had always been efficient in things like this. And if they've been investigating the murders, than that means that it doesn't have anything to do with them at all this time."

"Well, I didn't really think that it has anything to do with them this time as it isn't like their usual modus operandi." Itachi muttered. He then looked at Zetsu. "Do you know where they are now?"

"Only the leader and her second," said Zetsu. "And that's only because I've done a little job for them awhile back. If you want to know their current whereabouts, you'll know what it will cost you. I don't usually help the ANBU, but you guys are different as you won't betray my whereabouts to anyone else."

Kisame sighed. "What do you want in return?" he asked warily.

"Information for information," was Zetsu's reply. "About that ANBU girl in Rendoku who was killed approximately three months ago. Who was it that had killed her? If you can give me information on that, then I'll tell you what you want to know."

**XXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye Cafe  
Hiraiko_

A bell tinkled somewhere in Cat's Eye as Itachi pushed the door opened, with Kisame close behind on his heels. It is late at night, and it is also near closing hour for Cat's Eye, and thus, hardly anyone else was around in the cafe-cum-bar.

'Hardly anyone' as only two customers were in the cafe-cum-bar, being seated at the counter, with the redhead male glaring daggers at the two ANBU agents. And is it just Itachi's imagination, or is that sand that is currently being formed behind him?

"Gaara." Shiki spoke, placing her hand on his shoulder, and the sand user growled, but allowed his sand to dissipate itself. The leader of Ragnarok then turned towards the two ANBU agents, narrowing her eyes dangerously, her eyes seemingly to flash purple occasionally. "What do two ANBU agents want with us?"

"The recent killings—"

"—has nothing to do with us." Gaara interrupted, narrowing his eyes at the two ANBUs. "You ANBU make me sick. You preach about honour, pride and righteousness and all that, yet you have no qualms about pointing your finger at us once someone started killing all your supporters. What, we're your only enemies out there? With everything that the ANBU has done and committed from the time of the war until now, I'll be surprised if you do not have others calling for your blood out there."

Both Itachi and Kisame flinched at that statement. That…is true.

"You ANBU are still naive," said Shiki, not taking her eyes off of the two ANBU agents. "And you're still young yet in the world of the night – the world where danger and evil lurks at every corner, and if you don't kill, you'll be killed. We Ragnarok have lived in that world for a long time now, probably nearly all our lives. Unlike you ANBU, we didn't run from that world which all nin-users lived in – the world of the night. You refused to look at the truth. That's what sets us differently."

"What do you mean?"

"I see what Zetsu meant now." Gaara muttered, muttering some incoherent words beneath his breath irritably. He then turned towards the two ANBU agents. "Have you never wonder where all those of Ne and Orochimaru's supporters during the war go?"

"Where did they go?" Itachi echoed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Shiki didn't say anything for several moments before sighing. "You really don't know anything, do you?" she questioned. "I'll tell you. The enemies of the ANBU during the war are actually now in the ANBU."

"_What?"_

"After the war, things are extremely hectic in Japan." Shiki answered, shaking the contents of her cup slightly without looking at the two ANBUs. "There are a million problems to tend to back then, and that's why the leaders of the ANBU didn't have that much time to waste on the small fry of Ne and Orochimaru's people. As long as those people agree to discard their past identities and swore loyalty to the ANBU, as well as give the ANBU information on their old bosses, the ANBU will welcome them in." She glanced at Itachi and Kisame. "In other words, you're working with the people whom you have fought against during the war."

"That probably answers a lot of questions for you ANBU guys," said Gaara with a smirk. "Like why Ne and Oto are always one step ahead of you people. You idiots have invited rats into your ranks, and you didn't even realise it. Listen up, and you had better learn this lesson well. People betray people. It is part of human nature. It is about high time that you learn that lesson."

"And this time, the killings that have ANBU all worked up have nothing to do with us," said Shiki bluntly. "Those killings have been giving us problems as well. You might not want to believe it, and neither do you want to hear it, but even Ragnarok has our own code, and our own way of doing things. I will not allow any unnecessary killings among my people. Before you fuckers have killed Kankuro, I didn't allow any of them to kill any of you, only injuring you at most, because you've never done anything to us! No matter how much the others have wanted revenge, I didn't allow them to do anything."

"I…"

"Things are different for us now," said Gaara, narrowing his eyes at the ANBU. "You mess with one of us, you're going to have to deal with all of us. We won't do anything to you right now, as we value a fair fight. But the next time that we meet, you're going to have to deal with us."

"Wait!" Itachi called out, grabbing Shiki by the arm before she could leave the cafe. "Do you at least know who is behind the recent killings?"

Shiki glanced down at the hand currently attached to her arm before shaking that hand off, looking at Itachi straight in the eye with an unreadable expression in her eyes. "Who else do you think has a bone to pick with the ANBU, and who is also powerful enough to go up against your accursed organisation?" she asked sarcastically. "If you aren't as stupid as you would like me to believe, then you should know the answer to that question yourself. Or do you really want me to spell it out for you?"

Kisame's eyes widened when the name of a certain organisation immediately came to mind – an organisation that has been laying low for the past four years ever since Ragnarok had first made their debut and had started fucking with the ANBU and their enemies, and that organisation had then literally fallen off the face of the earth.

"I-It couldn't be…"

"Ne." Shiki stated with a nod. "We have an initial suspicion that the killings have something to do with Ne. And from what Zetsu and some of our informants have been informing us, there are various dealings in the underworld circle recently that had Ne written all over it. Unlike Oto, they're still out there, though they're currently lying low especially after what we've done to Oto and Orochimaru. We don't show mercy to our enemies, and they, of all people, knew that perfectly well." Itachi and Kisame both flinched at that statement. "But it definitely seems like Ne is coming out into the open now."

**XXXXXX**

_Seaside  
Hiraiko_

Night had long fallen, and the stars were out in millions, each and every single one of them shining and glittering like diamonds in the black velvety night sky. Shiki stood on the shores of the sea, taking in the sea breeze, and smelling the salty smell of the sea water. A pair of light footsteps behind her reaches her sharp ears just then, and she sighed.

"Is there something that you need, Sumaru?"

"Information," said Sumaru as Shiki turned around to face him, tilting one thumb over his shoulder. "Shino contacted me about eight months ago. He told me that you've asked him to research behind the mysterious deaths of all your parents in Ragnarok itself. He asked me to help out, as knowledge on your background is nearly zero, even for someone like Shino. He thought that I might know something, and asked me to help out."

"And?" asked Shiki, suddenly not liking that look in Sumaru's eyes. She knew that look as one that Sumaru always had on his face whenever he had to deliver a piece of news that he didn't even want to hear.

Sumaru sighed. "It took us some time, but we've managed to figure out who had masterminded all their…murders," he said hesitantly. He then met Shiki in the eye whose eyes had frozen to a cold cobalt blue even without realising it herself. "I know who had killed your parents, Shiki, along with the others. Shino did some good work on the others, but it took us the better part of four months to find out about your parents. They are sure some good spies back in their day if they can hide away all information on themselves like this."

"And…what did you find out?" asked Shiki, her heart thumping rather quickly as she knew that she is about to find out something that she had been trying to find out nearly all her life. Not even Jiraiya knew who had murdered her parents, and he had been trying to find that out ever since their deaths.

"You've guessed right in the aspect that their deaths are no accident," said Sumaru solemnly. "And it wasn't an accident that had killed the parents of all those with you as well." Shiki's eyes widened at that. "They were murdered. On the orders of two of the most influential people in Japan. And the names of those two were…" Sumaru trailed off before he almost whispered those two accursed names that Shiki had been trying nearly all her life to find out, and the redhead's eyes widened.

"It really is them…" Shiki muttered, her eyes wide. "I do have my initial suspicions, but having you confirm it about them, along with Shino…" She closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. "I really didn't want to believe it about those two. They did some serious stuff about Ragnarok, but this… This is insane!"

Sumaru eyed Shiki carefully. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I can't do anything about it right now," said Shiki, frustrated. "And don't mention a single word of this to the others. I'll talk to Shino about this. Kankuro's death is already a big blow to them, and they are slowly recovering from that loss. If I tell them the names of the two who have caused the deaths of their parents, and is also indirectly responsible for the hell that had been our lives up to today, I don't even want to imagine their reactions to _that_ piece of information. I doubt that I can even control them then. As a favour for me, _don't _tell them."

Sumaru sighed but nodded. "Alright," he said. "But something of this magnitude… You can't keep it from them for long, and you know it."

Shiki sighed but nodded. "I know," she said. "But I want to protect them from knowing that piece of knowledge for as long as possible. I want to protect them for as long as possible. But it probably won't last for very long, especially since the battle is about to begin. And this battle is going to change history and the world. It is going to make a tremendous change in the world. For the better or for the worse, only the fates would know."

Sumaru studied Shiki for several moments before he sighed, smiling slightly. "You never change, Shiki," he said. "You were like this back during our days in Hagako as Blade, Hagako's most feared gang, and the kings of Dead Men's Street, District 30 in the city of Hagako. And even now…nearly ten years or so since I, Hotaru and Mizure have met you; nearly eight years since the others in Blade have known you; and nearly eight years since your comrades in Ragnarok were rescued by you… You never change. You still have that heart for people and the willingness to help. The way that you always go the extra mile just to protect those unfortunate. Shino told me some stories about how you have gathered them together. You always have that charisma about you, even back during our days with Blade."

"I have never regretted meeting them or even helping them," said Shiki. "If there is one thing that I've regretted, it is that I wasn't able to save Riku and the others in Hagako all those years back from becoming Ne bait."

"It wasn't your fault," said Sumaru firmly. He then sighed. "Well, putting that aside, I came with some information as well." Shiki turned towards Sumaru. "I ran into Arashi-san awhile back. It's just a rumour that had been going around the informant circle, so it's nothing confirmed yet. But apparently, there is some town towards the west where people who travelled through the town usually turn up missing. And those who always go missing without fail are rumoured to be nin-users. Only those that aren't nin-users aren't affected. Seems like another case of nin-user haters to me. You should probably go and take a look, but do be careful. I got a bad feeling about this."

"The name of the town?"

"Stadt der lebenden Toten," said Sumaru slowly, trying to remember the name. "A pretty long name. And it seems to be in the German language. And now that I think about it, Jiraiya-sama did mention once that you have one-fourth German blood in you, isn't it?"

Shiki was silent as she thought about the name of the town that Sumaru had told her about. _'Stadt der lebenden Toten…' _she thought. _'City of the Living Dead. I got a bad feeling about this.'_

**XXXXXX**

_Stadt der lebenden Toten  
Japan_

The small town that Sumaru had mentioned looks like any other normal town with the usual residences and shops, though the residents in the town shortened the town's name to Lebenden as the full name is quite a mouthful. Currently though, all of Ragnarok were currently standing in front of said town, having docked their boathouse at the port of the next town over. A thin cloak of mist was currently cloaking the town, and just the sight of the town gives Shiki the creeps.

Most nin-users have very sensitive senses, and were usually able to tell that something is wrong right off the bat immediately. And right now, warning bells were sounding in Shiki's head as Ragnarok walked through the town. It looks like any other normal town, but it is the look in the eyes of the residents currently residing in this town that Shiki can't help but feel uneasy about. Just what exactly, Shiki has no idea.

"What is with this town?" Yugito muttered, looking left and right uneasily, wrapping her arms around herself in the way that she always do whenever she feels uneasy. "It gives me the creeps."

"Let's find an inn to stay in for the night before I decide on our next course of action," said Shiki, and everyone nodded. "Sumaru is really spot on about this town. And as long as you are in this town, go about with someone else all the time, even if you have to go to the toilet. _Never _go about in this town alone."

"Huh?" Haku turned towards Shiki in confusion, but the redhead had already gone on her way, with the others following her, seemingly heading towards the inn of the town. _'That's weird. Shiki is more nervous than before. I've never seen her like that.'_

**

* * *

**_Three Hours Later  
Holiday Inn Room 366, Stadt der lebenden Toten_

"Really! There definitely is _something _wrong with this town!" Neji grunted three hours later as he stormed in through the door of the inn room that all of Ragnarok were sharing together, with Gaara close behind his heels.

Shiki doesn't trust for them to be in separate rooms as she had a really bad feeling, and as such, had asked for one room that all of them could share, which could easily cost them a bomb, but no one minded all that much since they rarely used their money anyway, and they are pretty well-off, especially with all the bounty jobs that they took on whenever they made one of their stops at a town or a city, setting their double life as Ragnarok aside.

Shiki had sent nearly half of their number out into the town to do some investigating earlier, with the other half staying in the inn room. It had been three hours, and those who were sent out as the investigative team have only just returned, all of them reaching to the same conclusion.

Shiki sighed, turning around from the window where she had been standing at. "Okay. Reports," she said briskly, and Hinata nodded, having been paired up with Tenten.

"The townspeople were…friendly enough, I guess," she said hesitantly, exchanging glances with Tenten who shrugged. "But there is just something wrong with them. I don't really know how to describe it. It's like…they don't feel like normal humans do, and if I have to describe it, it's like there isn't a human soul in that body."

"Same here," said Neji, raising a hand whilst being seated on one of the beds in the inn room, and everyone turned towards him. The raven haired teen sighed. "About the nin-users' disappearances, I popped by at the police station in town. The sergeant on duty claimed that no such people came by, and I _know _for sure that he's lying. But whenever I speak to any of the people in town, it's like they are puppets or something – no emotion in their voice or faces whatsoever. What is up with this town? It gives me the creeps."

Hinata nodded, agreeing with her cousin's statement.

Because of the things that they saw, Ragnarok don't get uneasy or scared easily, but this town… Each and every single one of them could tell that something is wrong. And even the abnormally cold temperate of this town, along with the mist…

It isn't normal, for it is currently the middle of summer.

Shiki sighed before turning towards Yugito and Temari. "Yugito?"

"I headed to the graveyard of the town," said Yugito, and Shiki nodded. "Temari spoke with the winds, and they told her that several 'new bodies' were just dumped in the burial plots of the graveyard even without a proper burial. I guess we can safely estimate that those are bodies of the nin-users that have gone missing." Temari nodded at that, an uneasy look on her face. "I then communicated with the spirits of the dead using my abilities over the dead. It took me some time, as it is almost like something is blocking my power." At that, Shiki raised an eyebrow. "And all the spirits that I've made contact with said one thing only. Over and over."

"What did they say?" asked Gaara slowly.

Yugito was silent for a long time before answering. "They only said one thing over and over, almost like it is their last thoughts mere moments before their deaths, and like it is the only thing that is firmly ingrained in their own souls," she said. "'I don't want to die'."

"What is with this town?" Shino voiced out in confusion.

Shiki was silent for a long time as everyone turned towards her, her mind working furiously as she tried to piece together all the clues that she had gotten. _'All of us can feel that something is wrong with this town,' _she thought. _'Hinata said that it is almost like there isn't a human soul in the bodies of the residents. Even I thought that, from our brief encounter with the inn receptionist earlier. There isn't any emotion whatsoever in their voices or their auras. Almost like the dead. Neji said the same thing, which means that it isn't just me who had thought that. And __**something**__ in this town seemed to be trying to block Yugito's power, something which is impossible. Nothing can block a nin-user's power unless they're a shield or barrier type like Neji, and there definitely isn't one here since I'll know if there is. And the words of the spirits that Yugito had communicated with… 'I don't want to die'… What is going on here?' _Shiki's eyes widened when a sudden thought struck her. _'It can't be…! If that is the case, then it definitely answers a lot of things.'_

"Shiki?"

"Answer me one thing, you guys," said Shiki slowly, and everyone blinked but turned towards Shiki who was studying each of them intently, an unreadable look in her eyes. "When you've walked through the town, did you see any living creatures here? Like birds, trees or even plants for instance?"

"Huh?" Temari frowned at that as she tried to recall. "Now that you've mentioned it, no, I didn't notice any of that. I remember thinking that this town is extremely quiet without any birds at all. And I don't see any plant life."

"Yeah, same here," said Neji with a nod.

Shiki sighed. "I was afraid of that," she muttered. "I guess I know what is wrong with this town now." Seeing the looks on the faces of her friends, she proceeded to explain. "I had Shino do some research on this town earlier when you guys were gone. During the war, this town was the battlefield of a great many battles between the nin-users of old, and between the opposing parties. One of those nin-users wields a special ability. He can create demon entities, and even control dead spirits. Rather like Yugito's power, but a lot more unorthodox. The records never stated the outcome of that entire battle, but probably, that nin-user was killed, and in his last moments, he probably laid a curse on this entire town. And you know that the last moments of a nin-user are among the most dangerous, and also the most powerful."

"You mean that…" Yugito trailed off, finally understanding what Shiki had meant, and the redhead nodded.

"In other words, this town is like the living dead – a ghost town. There isn't a single person who is alive here. None of the inhabitants in this town could even be called alive. Only nin-users can tell that something is wrong with this town because of the fact that most nin-users are sensitive to auras and the changes in nature. That's probably why the nin-users that come here usually go missing within a day or two of their appearances here. Their powers are probably used to strengthen this town's power."

Neji almost groaned and rubbed his temples together to ease his headache. "I've heard of something like this before, but I didn't think that something like that is even possible," he muttered. "So what should we do, Shiki?"

Shiki sighed. "Nothing."

"Huh?"

"We can't do anything for this town anymore," said Shiki reasonably. "Yugito, you can exorcise spirits. But can you do anything for those that are neither spirits nor humans? The inhabitants of this town are not of this world any longer. They are close to being called 'monsters' now. Blood demons. Even Yugito can't do anything against beings that are not of this world."

Yugito sighed. "Shiki's right about this," she said, turning towards her friends. "Not even I can do anything towards beings like that. I am well versed with the occult and the dead, and I can exorcise spirits with my abilities. But not even I can do anything against blood demons – beings that are not of this world. They don't belong here. The least that we could do is to put them out of their misery."

"How?" asked Tenten incredulously.

"Fire." Yugito answered.

"Huh?"

"At midnight tonight, Neji, barricade the whole town in with your strongest barrier," said Shiki, and Neji nodded. "To stop this, we have to burn the whole town down with spiritual fire. This is the only way to kill them. Tenten, that will be your call."

Tenten nodded. "Roger."

"Blood demons are originally believed to have originated from the darkness in people's hearts," said Yugito slowly. "As long as there are hatred and darkness in people's hearts, evil will always be lurking somewhere. And Ragnarok is that darkness in this world. If there is light, there is darkness. If the ANBU is that light, then we are that darkness. And as long as there are hatred and darkness in the hearts of Man, Ragnarok will live on."

**XXXXXX**

"Alright. Everything looks clear," said Konan, surveying the areas surrounding them. "Let's go back."

The Akatsuki have been sent out to the western part of Japan especially after ANBU had received reports of sightings of Ne in this part of Japan. With Orochimaru and Oto now out of the way, the only ones that the ANBU still have to worry about are Ragnarok and Ne – both organisations that have eluded capture so far.

"Hey, what is that?" asked Nagato suddenly, looking in the distance from above the cliff that they were on. All ANBU agents turned towards the direction where Nagato had been looking towards, and they frowned as they saw the faint distinct glow of what seemed to be fire, only that that 'fire' seems to be a strange colour of blue and white.

"Spiritual fire?" Itachi questioned with a frown. "Who in the world is powerful enough to create fire like that? Spiritual fire is difficult to create, as it takes up a lot of mental and physical energy. Whoever is powerful enough to create that is bound to be one hell of a person."

Silence.

"This has Ragnarok written all over it," said Sasori with a groan.

Deidara frowned before turning towards Itachi. "What should we do, Itachi?"

Itachi sighed. "Let's go and check it out," he ordered, and the rest of his team nodded.

**XXXXXX**

_Stadt der lebenden Toten  
Japan_

Haku let out a low whistle as she shielded her eyes from the glare of the white-blue flames that surrounded the entire town within the massive sized barrier that Neji had created. The ice maiden and Gaara were currently guarding the entrance to the town whilst the others were on the other side, guarding both Neji and Tenten.

"Man… This is unreal!" said Haku in wonder. "I have no idea that Tenten can do something like this."

"Well, she _is _a master of fire," said Gaara reasonably. "Only stands to reason why the ANBU had wanted her so badly back then." He then frowned. "But on that note… How the hell did a town get infested with blood demons without anyone else realising? And about that, didn't Arashi-san report some time back that Ne had been sighted here? That's why Shiki even sent him to this part of Japan, didn't he?"

"Now that you've mentioned it…it does seem rather weird," said Haku with a frown. The low drones of a vehicle reached her ears just then, and the ice maiden turned towards the source of the sound with a frown. "Man… They're here already?"

Gaara sighed. "And like always, Shiki never ceases to amaze me," he muttered. "She stationed us here because she suspects that the ANBU might be here as well, given that Ne had been top on the list of the ANBU's most wanted as well. And there have been rumours of Ne appearing here. To think that her guess is spot on."

"Here they are," said Haku as the van approaching them stopped, and the six Akatsuki members exited out of the van, all with various expressions on their faces.

There was a long silence as the Akatsuki members eyed the two from Ragnarok, the latter two who have slightly angered expressions on their faces. Given that one member saw for herself how one of their own had perished at the hands of the Akatsuki, and the other is the younger brother of the one who had died, it isn't that surprising at all.

"That's spiritual fire, isn't it?" Itachi questioned, but both Ragnarok members stayed silent.

"Is Twila here?" Konan questioned, but still, both Gaara and Haku stayed silent. "She is, isn't it? Let us talk to her."

Before any of Akatsuki could even take half-a-step forwards, they were stopped in their tracks by a hail of ice that froze the ground between them by Haku, her eyes narrowing together dangerously. "Are you people idiots or something?" she questioned. "Now that we've seen you here and know what you've came for, we're definitely not going to move."

"You heard our decree to you, didn't you?" Gaara questioned. "We're not going to hold back on you dogs from the ANBU any longer."

A semi-large object came flying out of nowhere just then, and Haku barely managed to create a barrier of ice to block that object which actually turned out to be a gigantic sword. A dark figure came out of nowhere after that, lunging himself at a surprised Haku. The force behind that impact actually sent the two down the cliff.

"Kisame!" Sasori shouted after his teammate.

"Haku!" Gaara called out. He then narrowly dodged a hail of origami birds that were quickly destroyed by his sand, and he then frowned. "Five against one, huh?" He mused. "Those are some odds. But it'll do for some warm up, I guess." He then narrowed his eyes dangerously as sand rose threateningly behind him. "Let's roll!"

**

* * *

**Kisame leapt back almost immediately the moment that they both have hit the ground, landing into the middle of a river which froze over almost immediately, reacting to Haku's moods, and the temperature fell drastically, making Kisame feel almost like winter is here.

Kisame eyed his younger sister warily who was hissing almost like a cornered cat, and he is sure that if Haku had suddenly grown claws, she would have put those out as well. Icicles hung low from the surrounding trees, and even snow could be seen clinging to the grass around them. In terms of nin-abilities, Kisame knew that he stands no chance whatsoever against Haku. Her nin-abilities with ice and water are more powerful than his. And unlike Kisame, Haku had full control over her abilities in which that her abilities are actually in tune together with her emotions.

"I just want to talk with you, Haku," said Kisame before Haku can even say anything. He took one step forward before nearly cringing, as the water that went up to his ankles made him feel like he had just waded into Arctic snow. It is just that damn cold which only meant that Haku is incredibly pissed off, if the snow and ice surrounding them isn't proof enough.

"There isn't anything to talk about," said Haku with a hiss. "You've lost that right five months ago when you've killed Kankuro right in front of my eyes! I was there…and yet…I can't do anything to save him! And it made me feel wretched all the more when it is my own fucking brother who had killed my friend!"

"It is my duty," said Kisame, taking those verbal blows from Haku bravely. It is what he had deserved. He had hurt his sister in ways that he had never thought possible. "I'm sorry for what I did, and you can choose to believe me or not, but I've never wanted to kill him or hurt you. If we didn't do what we did, the ones who would be dead are us. It is the law of the ANBU."

"I don't want to listen to your lies!" Haku hissed, sending a hail of ice shards at Kisame who narrowly dodged out of the way. "Again and again, you fuckers from the ANBU kept hurting us again and again. You hurt Temari. You hurt Gaara. You hurt Tenten. And most importantly, you hurt Shiki. Ragnarok is my family. They were there for me in my moment of need. They were there for me when our parents died, and you had abandoned me to fight in a war. You said that you would come back for me, but you never did!"

"I tried to find you!" Kisame shouted back. "I really tried! I was injured during the war and was in the hospital for five months! By the time that I'm well enough to travel back to the village, I've heard about what had happened, and that Zabuza had taken you away to who-knows-where! I tried looking for you, but I couldn't find you anywhere! Joining the ANBU is my only chance at finding you with their vast networks and contacts! I didn't expect that you would be a member of Ragnarok! How do you think that I must feel when I've found out about it, and when I saw you in front of me as a member of Ragnarok, one of our enemies, again and again? An enemy that I must kill in the name of ANBU? An enemy that I must kill as an ANBU agent?" Kisame fell to his knees, ignoring the freezing water that soaked through the knees of his pants that literally froze his legs. "I…had never wanted to fight you. That's why…come back to me…Haku…"

Haku can only stare at her brother…her only surviving blood family.

"Nii-sama…"

* * *

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_You can't afford to play with fire. Don't mess with us if you know what's good for you."_

"_Seriously, we have a bone to pick with you bastards, but at the moment, we have no reason to fight you. Our objective here is Ne."_

"_You bastards…you really do not have a single bone of honour in your body, do you?"_

"_I am Ragnarok's captain, Namikaze Shiki."_


	22. Duty and Honour

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Two: Duty and Honour**

_ANBU Headquarters  
Leaf City_

"You let them _get away?"_

The thunderous-like yell of the ANBU commander, Senju Tsunade, echoed throughout all of ANBU headquarters, and the family of birds roosting happily in the tree growing just outside the window of the ANBU commander immediately took flight from the tree in fright.

It was approximately a day after Akatsuki's encounter with Ragnarok in the western part of Japan, and all of Akatsuki have miraculously gotten away with minor injuries. The worst injury that the lot of them have suffered is a sprained arm which Deidara have suffered from when he had suffered from the backlash from his own technique after trying but failing to blow that redhead sand user up.

The Akatsuki didn't really understand what had happened from their encounter with those two either. It is almost like those two didn't really take them seriously at all, and now that Itachi think of it, those two have never really taken them seriously in an all-out battle even once, and he has no way of knowing just how powerful those two are.

Though he knew that those two are probably among the most powerful in Ragnarok, probably only second in power to their leader.

All that Itachi knew is that when the barrier surrounding that small town had gone down, that redhead sand user had taken one look at the town before muttering something that sounds like, "It's over," and he had then literally disappeared in a whirl of sand and wind.

As for Kisame, it had taken all of Akatsuki nearly four hours just to find him, and he was just standing knee-high in the middle of the river, looking at the full moon in the night sky without saying anything apart from, "She's gone."

Thus, one can just imagine the report that Itachi had sent in, and the roasting that both he and his vice-captain were suffering from right now, courtesy of their beloved commander's sharp tongue.

Itachi nearly winced at that loud abuse to his eardrums. "Hey, it's not like I can do anything." The Uchiha grumbled. "It doesn't matter how many of them there are, it's like they are just _playing_ with us! That one Ragnarok guy whom we've somehow managed to miraculously take out several months ago… And until today, I still have completely no idea whatsoever just _how _that had happened. But anyway, my point here is that despite us having been after Ragnarok for nearly four years? Five years? Bah. Who cares? Anyway, my point is that every single one of them is damn powerful. And we still have no idea to the extent of their power, and just how powerful they are. We'll be rushing to our deaths if we just go after them blindly without knowing just how powerful they are, and what they could even do!" Itachi glared at this point in time, cutting Tsunade off. "And I don't care even if you are the ANBU commander, Tsunade-sama! I _know _what my duties are to the ANBU, thank you very much! I am the captain of the Akatsuki, and I am responsible for the lives of my comrades, as well as those under me! I will _not _allow them to go rushing off to their deaths unnecessarily when I could prevent them!"

Tsunade glared at Itachi for several moments before settling back into her chair. Kisame hasn't said a single word so far, but merely looked out of the window where the afternoon sun is vaguely visible in the blue skies.

"Very well," said Tsunade. "I shall let this slip just this once. But for now, I want you to focus all your efforts on finding Ragnarok or Ne. Dismissed."

**

* * *

**_Akatsuki's Office  
ANBU Headquarters_

"Don't talk like it is so easy!" Deidara nearly yowled like a cat an hour later in the Akatsuki's office-cum-meeting room, with his right arm currently in a sling around his neck. The blonde bomber was on his feet, his bright blue eyes flashing angrily. "If catching them is so simple, we would have already done so a long time ago, instead of failing to capture them after nearly _five fucking years! _If it is so easy, then I'll like to see _her_ do it!"

"Deidara, do us all a favour and shut up." Sasori told his partner sternly, already having a killer of a headache from his place on the couch next to Deidara. His partner's yowling isn't helping any matters either, along with his head injury caused when Gaara had captured him in his sand and had literally thrown him against a tree during their brief encounter with that Ragnarok sand user a day ago. "You're giving me a killer migraine here."

"But seriously, you can't blame Deidara here," said Konan wearily, bandaging Nagato's left wrist carefully with some bandages, a first aid kit opened on the table beside her. "Even _I'm _getting pissed off with Tsunade-sama and her insane orders. If capturing Ragnarok _or _Ne is as easy as saying one-two-three, then I'll like to see her do it. There is a reason, a _number _of reasons why we've been after those two organisations for over five years now at this point in time, and is still no closer to capturing them than when we've first started out. Especially Ragnarok. It is only this year that we've managed to know more about them, including the identities of some of them. And that is only because they _allow _themselves to be seen."

Itachi sighed and got up from behind his desk, causing all his teammates to look at their captain. "Alright, we've all got a long and tiring night," he said wearily. "Take the rest of the day off and rest up. I'm going out to catch a breather or two. See you guys later."

He then picked up his motorcycle keys as well as his jacket before leaving the room.

**XXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye Cafe  
Hiraiko_

"Are you guys going to tell me what is going on _now?"_ A very irritated Namikaze Shiki growled out as she was all but pushed down the streets of Hiraiko by a grinning Tenten, with Haku and Gaara on either side of her.

It was near nightfall, and even the stars could be seen in the skies. Ragnarok had docked their boathouse at the docks of Hiraiko like what they'd done every few months just to visit Iruka, and not to mention that Hiraiko is one of the _very few _towns where they could truly feel safe. And during their short stays at Hiraiko, they always used it as 'relaxation time'.

And Shiki can't help but feel like her friends are hiding some big secret from her as the lot of them have been so secretive for the entire day. And out of the blue, she suddenly found herself being dragged along by Tenten, Haku and Gaara down the streets of Hiraiko.

"You'll know soon," said Haku with a smile as Gaara pushed opened the door of the Cat's Eye cafe, with the bell tinkling somewhere in the shop as he did so.

"Now can someone please tell me what is going on _now?" _Shiki asked, irritated, shaking Tenten's hold off of her.

The rest of her friends were all in the cafe, much to her surprise, though she didn't show it. Apart from the three who have all but dragged her here by force, the others have been missing all day. Even the part-time waiter and waitress that Iruka had hired – Udon and Moegi – were in the cafe, beaming with secret smiles on their faces.

Shiki raised an eyebrow. Something is definitely up…

"What?"

Iruka chuckled before Hinata and Yugito who have been blocking the view of one of the tables moved away simultaneously, similar looking grins on their faces, only to reveal a table groaning under the weight of several delicious looking food, along with an equally delicious looking chocolate cake with seventeen small lit candles on it, the flames flickering every now and then.

Shiki's eyes widened slightly in surprise at this.

"I can't believe that you'd actually forget about your own birthday, Shiki," said Iruka, shaking his head in dismay, a smile on his face. "The others came to me about a week ago and told me that it is your birthday today. They knew that you'll probably forget about it…again, and took it upon themselves to hold a small celebration between ourselves."

Shiki looked at her friends who smiled at her, and a small smile tugged at the ends of her lips. "Thanks, you guys."

"Alright! Let's party!" crowed Tenten, pumping one fist into the air. "Anything we can help with?"

The others soon dissipated into different areas of the cafe, leaving only Iruka and Shiki behind. The redhead then turned towards Iruka with a smile. "Thanks for this," she said. Her face then fell slightly. "Kankuro should be here as well…"

Iruka managed a small smile before he dug into his pocket and pulled out a small black box with a black satin ribbon tied around it, along with a white envelope, handing the two items over to Shiki who took it with a raised brow. "Itachi came by yesterday evening to give me this." Iruka explained, and Shiki's face fell slightly. "He told me to give this to you if you ever came by. And he also said, 'Happy Seventeenth Birthday'."

"I…see…" Shiki managed a weak smile. "Thank you."

"What makes you think that you can cook, Neji?" Haku's horrified voice echoed from the kitchen just then, along with the strong smell of something burning.

Yugito's voice came next, sounding equally horrified, yet also extremely amused. "Oh god! Someone get a fire extinguisher!"

Gaara spoke next, sounding rather sarcastic as he did so. "What fire extinguisher? Are you guys nin-users or not?"

Haku sounded rather sheepish next. "Oh."

Iruka chuckled, turning towards the direction of the kitchen when the temperature suddenly fell several degrees. "I'd better go and check in on them before they burn my kitchen down," he said, turning and leaving towards the direction of his kitchen, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Oi! What do you kids think that you are doing in my kitchen? I _do _still need to run a business here, you know?"

His voice then faded away.

Shiki smiled to herself before she turned and left the cafe, with the bell tinkling somewhere in the shop as she did so. She then leaned against the lamppost just outside the cafe, tilting her head backwards to look at the night starry sky. Night has already fallen, with the stars shining and twinkling like diamonds in the black velvety sky, without a single sign of rain.

The redhead then turned her attention back towards the black box that she held in her hand before she untied the black satin ribbon around the box, lifting the lid only to reveal a magatama made out of red jasper being strung on a black cord resting within the box. Shiki picked the magatama out of the box by holding the black cord by holding it with the index finger and thumb of her right hand, with the light of the lamppost bouncing off of it.

Her lips twitched slightly before she pulled the cord over her head, the magatama falling lightly just below her collarbone, the light of the lamppost bouncing slightly off of the magatama. The redhead then opened the envelope before slipping out the letter within it, unfolding it carefully.

_Happy Seventeenth Birthday, Shiki._

_If there is one thing that I regret at having done this year, among many other things, it is that I'm not able to spend it together with you this year, like what I should have been able to do with you, like how I've spent it with you every year ever since our first meeting._

Shiki's lips twitched, remembering the previous year when Itachi had actually taken her on a night spin on his bike last year around some seaport town, and had stopped at the beach. He had then disappeared for some time, and had later reappeared again with a small cake in hand.

_I understand the circumstances, and I know that you do not want to see me again, especially with all the pain that I've unknowingly caused you, with the death of your friend. I'm sorry. I know that no matter how many 'I'm sorry's that I said to you, you will probably never be able to forgive me, and I can understand that._

_I've never regretted knowing you, despite how painful it is for me after I've found out about you and Ragnarok. If anything, I should be the one causing you more pain than you did for me. But at least, I hope that you will accept my gift. I've picked it up on my last excursion to a trading town in eastern Japan two months ago, and the shopkeeper told me that magatamas are protective charms of some sort, and the red jasper used to make it is a type of blessed material used in that town._

_My first thought upon seeing that magatama for sale in that shop is you. At least, please accept my gift, and I also hope that my gift will serve as a symbol to protect you. Remember what I've told you when you had wanted to leave me?_

_I said that you don't have to let me see you. As long as I know that you're fine, and that I can do little things like this for you, it is enough for me. How long has it been since then? I really have no idea. But I know that as much as it is agony and torture for me, it must be ten times worst for you._

_And now, after thinking about it for such a long time, I've finally decided. _

_And Kisame's own situation too…it got me thinking. _

_His younger sister is that ice user girl in Ragnarok, which I am pretty sure that you knew as well. He had searched for his sister ever since his entry into the ANBU, and now, after nearly five long years of searching, he actually found out that he is going to have to face his sister as an enemy as long as he is in the ANBU._

_When I've asked him what he is going to do, he told me that he doesn't care even if his sister hates him, despise him, or even kill him as long as he knew that she is alright and that she is getting on well, with her own life._

_It was then that I've realised that as long as I love you, it doesn't matter even if you can't be by my side, and if I can't see you. As long as I know that you're safe and alright, it doesn't matter to me. Someone once told me that loving someone don't mean that you have to be together with them. Loving someone meant that as long as that person lives on in your heart and memories, and that you know that they are happy and well, it is enough for you._

_That's why I've decided._

_I'm tired too. _

_I don't want to cause you anymore suffering as well if just the mere sight of me causes you so much pain. I know that probably…just probably…even the mere sight of me reminds you of your friend's death._

_If that is the case, then I don't wish to cause you more pain._

_I won't see you ever again. I'll leave you alone from now on. Our time together is the happiest times of my life. It is my treasure, and something which I will never forget, for as long as I live. It is the end of everything, and it is also the beginning of everything._

_But you should remember one thing as well. I don't know the reason why you've created Ragnarok, and I agree that there are times when Ragnarok is needed. But you should know this as well as I does: darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. (1)_

_I don't wish to see you lose yourself to hatred and darkness as well._

_Thank you, Shiki, for everything, and be happy._

_-Itachi_

Tears dropped onto Shiki's hand, and onto the letter, blotching some of the words of the letter, blurring her vision. So even he had given up as well. It is for the best this way. For everyone. It is for the best if Itachi just forget about her and move on with his own life.

But then, what is that pain that she feels?

The door to the cafe swung opened just then, and Haku poked her head out. Shiki hurriedly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand before turning to look at Haku, stuffing the letter into her coat pocket hurriedly.

"Shiki, what are you doing?" asked Haku, and a mere moment later, Yugito's head appeared above Haku's, with the blonde pressing one hand down onto the head of the ice maiden, much to her displeasure. "Hey Yugito! What are you doing?"

"Come on, Shiki! We're about to cut the cake soon!" Yugito called out, a smile on her beautiful face. "Iruka-san, Moegi and Udon will be joining us too! It's a time for celebration, so come on! Join us. And you're the star for today after all."

Shiki smiled at her friends. "Can't stand you guys, really." She muttered before she walked towards the cafe and entering it, with the bell tinkling somewhere in the shop as she did so.

_It is the end of everything, and it is also the beginning of everything._

Everything will begin from here on out.

There is no turning back any longer.

For any of them.

**XXXXXX**

_The Next Day  
Unknown Location_

Gaara and Haku watched on silently as a bright blue glow surrounded the small shrine-like building before the light faded away, and Shiki got to her feet albeit shakily, breathing heavily, and there were even beads of sweat on her forehead despite the fact that it is bitterly cold right now, with winter just around the corner.

"That makes another shrine down," said Haku solemnly, and Gaara and Shiki both nodded. The ice maiden then sighed and turned towards Shiki. "Will the seal hold?"

"Who knows?" said Shiki with a shrug. "At best, it will only hold temporarily until I can find another way."

The ringing tone of Gaara's cellphone blared through the air just then, and the two girls turned towards the after-mentioned male who fished out his phone and answered it with an annoyed expression on his face. "What?"

The sand user then narrowed his eyes as he listened to whatever whoever on the other end of the line had to say, and he frowned before glancing at Shiki. "Yeah, she's with me," he said. He then narrowed his eyes. "Alright. We'll be right back."

"Gaara, what is it?" asked Haku with curiosity as Gaara hung up the call.

The redhead then sighed and turned towards the two girls. "That's Shino earlier," he said. "We have word from Sasame. Apparently, Ne had made an appearance in Lakeside – a town near the southern borders of Japan. If we want to deal a dent in Danzo's plans, we have to move now. We can worry about getting him later on. Also, according to Arashi-san, Akatsuki and Rendoku are on the move as well."

**XXXXXX**

_Lakeside  
Japan_

The small town of Lakeside which is about the only thing separating Japan's borders from any of the neighbouring countries is built in a way unlike all the other towns of Japan. It still took on a look similar to the towns and villages from the feudal era of Japan – with the town being like a kind of 'castle town'.

On the side of the road near the heart of the town, two motorcycles could be seen, yet the passersby ignored the motorcycles as visitors always came through Lakeside, especially since the town of Lakeside is a trading town as well.

Tenten who is riding pillion behind Neji on the motorbike frowned as she looked around, and on the other bike, Haku who is riding pillion behind Gaara frowned as well, looking around the town. "Seems like Ne is indeed in this town," said Haku, leaning slightly forwards and speaking in a low tone so that only her friends could hear her. "I recognise a few of the undercover Ne members in this town. We've seen them before five years ago during our first encounter with them before they've fled like the dogs that they are when Shiki had scared them out of their wits."

"Hey you."

All four Ragnarok members turned around just then only to see Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame standing behind them, with the two ANBU agents staring at them with a look like they almost couldn't believe their eyes. The Ragnarok members cursed to themselves inwardly. So much for not attracting attention to themselves…

Neji sighed before removing his shades from his eyes, and glaring at the two ANBU agents who almost cringed at the death glare that the Hyuuga shot them. "We _really _couldn't go anywhere without having contact with you ANBU bastards, can we?" he muttered sarcastically. "And while I would love nothing more than to rip you bastards limb from limb especially for what you've done to Kankuro, we have our orders."

"Orders?" Kisame dared to ask.

"Seriously, we have a bone to pick with you bastards, but at the moment, we have no reason to fight you," said Gaara coldly, and Itachi and Kisame both nearly flinched at the cold look in those jade green eyes. "Besides, we have our orders. Our objective here is Ne."

"So it's true then," said Kisame quietly. "They're really here. The ANBU are only here to check out some rumours regarding Ne, but it seems like those rumours have some truth in them."

"Is Shiki here?" Itachi asked quietly, directing this question to Haku who seemed to be the only one among the four Ragnarok members who don't seem like she would love nothing more than to kill him where he stand.

"No," said Haku curtly. "Do you really think that she would appear in a place where the ANBU are rumoured to be?" She tapped on Gaara's shoulder. "Let's go."

"Yeah," said Tenten with a nod. She then turned towards the two ANBUs. "You can't afford to play with fire. Don't mess with us if you know what's good for you."

Neji then smirked before hitting on the gas, and with a loud roar, the engines of the two motorbikes veered into existence before speeding away, leaving the two ANBU agents to cough and choke on the thick smoke that was kicked up, not that any of the Ragnarok members cared.

"What should we do now?" asked Haku over the roaring wind.

"Well, Shiki did say that she had gotten Sasame to infiltrate Ne sometime back," said Gaara in a loud enough voice for him to be heard over the wind. "First, we have to find her. And if Sasame's information is to be believed, then Ne has a major dealing here in this town. It's our chance."

"Really, Shiki sure doesn't do things halfway." Neji muttered, and the other three shot him looks. He then sighed. "I mean, not that I'm trying to blow my own horn, but we four are easily some of the more powerful ones in Ragnarok. In the past, Shiki never did send all four of us at once to anyplace. At best, she'll only send two of us. By the fact that she is sending all four of us at once this time around, that just means that she is pissed off enough with Ne and Danzo to send all four of us at once."

Haku almost snorted. "Well, none of us had any love lost for Danzo or Ne," she stated, and Tenten laughed. "If given the chance, I doubt that any of us would say no to the chance to eliminate them. They've sure been giving us some problems ever since Orochimaru's and Oto's demise."

"You've got that right."

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Aikawa, Japan_

At the docks of the small river town of Aikawa, a small town located two towns away from Lakeside, Shiki stood at the doorway of the boathouse, staring towards the direction of the town of Lakeside, her fingers tapping against her arm in a steady rhythm.

"Shiki?" Hinata approached her. "What's wrong?"

Shiki sighed before turning towards Hinata. "I hope that it is nothing much but just my imagination working up, but I'm worried about those four," she admitted. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Hinata said nothing, as even she could feel an ominous feeling in the wind – almost like something is currently afoot. The blue haired Hyuuga then turned and looked towards the direction of Lakeside – the same direction where Shiki had been looking into for the past hour, and she clenched her hands into fists by her sides.

'_Neji-nii-san…please come back alive.'_

**XXXXXX**

_Lakeside  
Japan_

BANG!

The loud sound of a gunshot echoed through the air, and before the horrified eyes of all four Ragnarok members, the bullet struck Fuuma Sasame in the chest, and almost like in slow motion, the dark haired informant then fell backwards before turning motionless.

The loud horrified scream from Haku pierced through the air, startling the birds from flight in the nearby trees.

"SASAME!"

Tenten was by Sasame's side even before you can say one-two-three, both hands pressing down onto the gunshot wound in her chest, and with the blood spurting out like a fountain from her chest, staining Sasame's already red shirt more crimson than it already is, even Tenten knew that the bullet must have struck her near the heart artery.

Tenten had always had a love for weapons, for some reason that escapes the rest in Ragnarok, and she also has a love for using sharp pointy objects aside from her abilities over fire – a fact that always causes the boys in Ragnarok to be a tad bit wary of her, as none of them wished to be turned into swish kebab by Tenten and her 'sharp and pointy friends'.

Haku, Neji and Gaara immediately formed a protective circle around Tenten and Sasame, as the fire user tried her hardest to staunch the bleeding around Sasame's wound. Usually, Haku is the one who heals the injured, but there is a side effect when a nin-user tries to heal a non nin-user by using their powers.

When a nin-user heals someone, they use the energy that all nin-users used when using their powers. And if they tried healing a non nin-user using that energy, none of them will know what will actually happen. Thus, all of them knew the dangers of using their powers to heal a non nin-user like Sasame.

If it is Shiki, she can probably do something, as she is a master at sorcery after all – probably due to her one-quarter German blood from her mother's side of the family, but as it is, she isn't here right now. And of right now, Tenten is the only one among the four who had extensive knowledge on emergency first aid treatment, probably due to her constant meddling with weapons, and she must also know the standard procedure for treating wounds and injuries caused by weapons.

Neji growled low in his throat as he glared at the two teams of Akatsuki and Rendoku with a look that is enough to melt glacial ice, glancing over his shoulder occasionally at Tenten and Sasame.

Everything had gone so well earlier.

Before the four of them have set off for Lakeside, Shiki had told them that Sasame will meet them behind the Lacoste Mansion where there is a wide open space where the children of the past will often play at. After the war, the Lacoste Mansion which is owned by one of the town's richest families had fallen to ruin, and there were even rumours around town that the mansion is haunted. Thus, no one in Lakeside will ever venture near the mansion, which makes it an ideal place for them to meet Sasame.

But naturally, Ragnarok has no way of knowing that the ANBU have been tailing Sasame, as the dark haired informant had been at the mansion before them, and not to mention that all four Ragnarok members have on dark coats in order to blend in together with their surroundings.

Rock Lee of Rendoku, being the one to fire that shot earlier, and who also happens to be the one standing closest to four currently pissed off Ragnarok members suddenly found himself flying backwards after being struck by a powerful punch from the raven haired Ragnarok member, causing the combat specialist to feel like he had just broken his jaw.

"Sasame!" Tenten called out, slapping Sasame's face lightly with one hand, the other hand trying to stop the bleeding by pressing a cloth over the wounded area, but the white cloth was quickly turning red with blood. "Sasame! If you can hear me, wake up! Sasame!"

"Sasame!" Gaara called out, glancing over his shoulder whilst having a cautious eye on the ANBU agents in front of them as well. "Sasame! Oi! Wake up!"

"Haku, Gaara, help Sasame!" Neji ordered, taking two steps backwards, and two hand daggers appeared like magic in his hands, an angry look in the normally composed Hyuuga's eyes as he glared at the ANBU agents who cringed when they saw that murderous look. If Neji wasn't angry before, he definitely is now. And something tells all ANBU agents present that they've just did a very stupid thing. "I'll do the defending!"

"Okay!"

Gaara and Haku immediately turned and dropped down by Tenten and Sasame's sides. Both of Tenten's hands were already stained red with Sasame's blood, with the blood not showing any signs of stopping anytime soon.

"Damn! The blood isn't stopping!" Tenten cried out in frustration. "Haku, do something! I know that as a rule, we shouldn't heal a non nin-user, but this is no time to be picky right now!"

"I can't! My power hasn't come back!" Haku cried out. "I just did the sealing with Shiki and Gaara yesterday! My power over healing hasn't come back yet!"

"You've got to be kidding!" Tenten muttered in horror.

A wet and sticky hand grasped Tenten's right wrist weakly just then, and all three nin-users looked down at Sasame only to see the girl being severely weakened by both her injuries and blood loss, looking up at them with half glazed over eyes, trails of blood flowing from the edges of her lips.

"Sasame!"

"Tell…Shiki…" Sasame coughed out mouthfuls of blood just then, and Tenten shook her head, tears falling from her eyes as she tried hard to stop the bleeding, even though she knew, in her heart of hearts, that it is futile.

"Sasame, don't speak." Tenten ordered. "We'll get you to a doctor soon enough. Save your strength."

Sasame shook her head slightly weakly, causing her to cough up more blood, and her grasp on Tenten's wrist tightened slightly, though not that anyone can tell the difference as she is just so weak right now. "It…is too late…for me…" she coughed. "I…have some news…for Shiki… Tell her… Tell Shiki…that Danzo…" She coughed out more blood. "Tell her…that Danzo…isn't here…"

Gaara's eyes widened. Danzo isn't here? What is going on? Then who had been ordering the Ne members to mobilise in Japan? Where is Danzo then, if he isn't in Lakeside?

"He…is certainly in Japan… A-Arashi-nii-san…probably…knew…his whereabouts… We…have been…helping Shiki…with Ne and Danzo…for the past year… It has…been so long… I can't…just see my…work…go to waste…just like this… Tell Shiki…that Danzo…isn't here…!"

"Sasame, what is his objective?" Haku asked urgently. "Tell me!"

"The…Shrine…and…the Akuma…!"

"The shrine?" Tenten almost whispered, her eyes wide. "It can't mean…!"

The unspoken word rang in the heads of the three Ragnarok members as they looked at each other with horror. It seems like Shiki's guess is spot on as always.

_The Bijuu Shrine._

"Tell Shiki…to find the…one person…that knew more about…Danzo and Ne…than anyone else…even me…and Arashi-nii-san…!" Sasame struggled to form her words, despite the pain that she is obviously feeling, and the fact that her strength is quickly declining, judging by the fact that the colour in her face is fading fast. "The…one person…who had betrayed…Ne and Danzo…and is in hiding ever since…his betrayal…five years ago…"

"Five years ago?" Gaara muttered. "Sasame, is he the one who had given you and Arashi-san the information about Danzo and Ne, and had caused Shiki to move against Danzo, forcing that cripple to flee the country and the underworld?"

"That's…right…" Sasame struggled to speak. "Tell Shiki…to find him… He is…the only one…who knew more about Danzo…and Ne…than anyone else right now… Sai… A…member…of Shiki's old gang… A…former…member of…the street gang…Blade… Find Sai…" Her eyes then slid shut.

"Sasame!"

"She's still alive!" Tenten called out. "But her pulse is extremely weak! We have to get her to a doctor quickly!"

Haku got to her feet, shaking slightly just then with her bangs covering her eyes as she walked forwards until she was standing in between the Ragnarok members and the ANBU agents. From this distance, everyone could feel that anger and killer intent emanating from Haku.

"Haku…?" Neji voiced out, eyeing her warily.

The temperature of the surroundings was dropping drastically, and he knew that as a sign that Haku is close to losing her temper. The powers of a nin-user were kept under control as long as the nin-user had control over their own emotions. Their powers were amplified or weakened by their emotions, and that is what made a nin-user so powerful in the first place, and why people have always feared nin-users and their powers.

"You bastards…" Haku hissed slowly, raising her head slowly only to show angered eyes, and a thin sheet of ice was even covering the ground. "…are going to _pay _for this!"

"Haku, stop!" Tenten shouted to Haku. "Our first priority is Sasame!"

"Shut up, Tenten!" Haku shouted back in fury, and Tenten was taken aback by that anger in Haku's voice. Never before had the ice maiden lost her temper. She is one of the few in Ragnarok who is always good natured and even tempered, and had even acted as mediator whenever arguments had broken out among the members of Ragnarok. "They're going to _pay _for this!" She clenched her right hand into a fist so tightly that she almost drew blood from it. "I would _never_ forgive you for this… I'm going to _kill you right here!"_

"Haku, stop! If you do that here—"

"I don't care!" Haku shouted, cutting Gaara off. She glared at the ANBU agents who have all started to feel like they should have written out their wills early. Shikamaru even made a mental note to increase his visits to the Shinto shrine if he should have the good fortune to survive this, and to offer more incense to his deceased parents. "You guys…" She glanced over her shoulder at her comrades. "…hold your breath."

Gaara's eyes widened at that; he knew what Haku is going to do now, and he had only seen it once. In fact, as far as he knew, only he and Shiki have ever seen Haku use this technique before, as very few people could actually force the ice maiden to go all out.

The red-haired sand user then turned towards his comrades, a slightly panicked look on his face that caused Tenten and Neji to look at him with surprise as Gaara almost never loses his cool or even his composure. His control over his own emotions is second only to Shino who no one had ever seen getting mad before, and no one sure as hell wanted to see how with how the insect user usually behaved and acts.

"Hold your breath!" Gaara shouted, leaping backwards and covering his nose and mouth with his hand, with his free hand stretching out, and commanding a wall of sand to immediately envelop his comrades and Sasame, sans for Haku, within a ball of sand. That was his ultimate sand barrier in which even air could not get in, sans for the already little oxygen that he had enveloped within that barrier.

Neji and Tenten immediately did so, despite already being within Gaara's sand barrier, and just in time as well.

The moment that Gaara had enveloped Neji, Tenten and Sasame within his sand barrier, Haku made her move.

The dark haired girl took one step backwards, both her hands in a cupped like position together, her fingertips just a few inches short of touching each other, her face in a cold porcelain-like mask. She then spoke her next words which might very well result in the deaths of all the ANBU agents present.

"Diamond Dust."

Blood erupted from the lips of all those from Rendoku sans for Sasuke, Shikamaru and Kiba just then – the only three in Rendoku smart enough apart from the Akatsuki to _not _breathe in the air after hearing what the ice user and then the sand user have shouted to their comrades.

The sand barrier surrounding Neji, Tenten, Sasame and Gaara came down almost immediately at that, as even Gaara had a time limit as to how long he can keep his own comrades and himself barricaded within a barrier that blocks out all air and oxygen. The maximum amount of time he can keep them within his sand barrier is three minutes, as that is the maximum amount of time that a normal human being can go without air. Even nin-users are human too, and they need to be able to breathe like everyone else.

And thankfully for them, the Ragnarok members have more than enough sense to still cover their mouths and noses with their hands, with Tenten covering Sasame's mouth and nose with her own bloodied hand, all Ragnarok members present staring at Haku with something akin to fascination.

No one in Ragnarok sans for Gaara and Shiki have seen Haku use this ability of hers before, with her favourite being a move that formed sharp icicle spears as sharp as diamonds that can easily tear through a human's body, resulting in death almost immediately.

Haku is one of the more powerful members of Ragnarok because of the mere fact alone that her techniques allow her to both defend and attack – unlike most of Ragnarok whose techniques only allow them to do one or the other. Only a few like Haku, among which included Shiki, Shino, Gaara, Tenten and Yugito have techniques that allow them to both defend and attack at the same time.

Diamond Dust is one of Haku's more lethal attacks, which can result in death easily if her opponent isn't careful. The only reason why Haku had never used this technique before during their past stand-offs against ANBU is because Shiki didn't want any unnecessary deaths at that time.

But because of Kankuro's death months ago, Shiki had then lost it and had saw red, especially with ANBU's behaviour after that. She had then lifted her ban on Ragnarok and told them that the unofficial truce between Ragnarok and ANBU is over. They now have all rights and permission to attack ANBU in whichever way possible, and she'll even turn a blind eye if they even maim or kill any ANBU.

Diamond Dust is a technique that even someone like Shiki, Gaara and Neji would have problems against, and the three have techniques that could work well against Haku's. That is only part of the reason why Shiki usually paired Gaara or Neji with Haku whenever they have requests or missions.

Diamond Dust is a technique in which gleaming diamond particles would actually make its way into the opponent's airways, into their bloodstream before being followed by their internal organs, creating a bloody mess once the opponent actually breathed out, and when it breaks out into the outside air.

That is why Diamond Dust is such a lethal attack, and there are also a number of reasons why Haku had never used it. One of them, and also the main one, being the mere fact alone that there is always a Ragnarok member partnered with Haku, as Shiki would never let one of those under her command work solo, no matter how much they have argued with the redhead.

That is the one thing that Shiki would not give way in.

There is an occasion once roughly five years back when Ragnarok have first started going after Ne when Yugito had caught wind that one of the sub-division leaders of Ne that had been the one to give the order to attack her gang back then had been sighted, and the blonde had snapped. Against all orders, she had actually gone after that man herself, and when Shiki had caught wind of it, she had assigned Neji to follow Yugito secretly, and luckily that she did too, as it actually turned out to be a trap. It wasn't that long after that when Danzo and Ne, fearing Ragnarok and Shiki, have disappeared completely.

"Oi, Ino, Chouji, Lee!" Sasuke shouted to his teammates whilst still keeping a wary eye on the ice user in front of him. "Are you alright?"

Their answers to that question are to cough out blood simultaneously, with the crimson liquid spurting out in between the gaps of their fingers. Lee actually nearly doubled over, as coupled with his broken jaw, he was in a worst shape than any of them at present.

"What did you do?" Kiba shouted, still covering his nose and mouth. Because of his sharper than usual senses, he is Rendoku's tracker, but there are also times when his enhanced senses are actually more of a hindrance to him, like now.

"My Diamond Dust will shred the insides of all those who have breathed it in." Haku said calmly, and the eyes of all ANBU agents widened in horror. So _that's _why Gaara had told his comrades not to breathe! Haku then narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Usually, I would never do something like this, but you bastards have just crossed the line. First Kankuro, now Sasame? You bastards…you really do not have a single bone of honour in your body, do you?" Haku flexed her fingers before she spoke those dreaded words once more. "Diamond Du—"

But she never finished that dreaded command, as a fist came out of nowhere just then, putting itself into Haku's gut, and the ice maiden coughed harshly before passing out over an arm. Namikaze Shiki then immediately threw the unconscious Haku to a bewildered Neji who barely managed to catch Haku in time.

"Shiki!"

"Get out of here." Shiki spoke, moving so that she is standing in between the ANBU agents and Ragnarok. A kodachi actually appeared like magic in her right hand, and she then held it out before her, a dangerous look in her eyes which made the less experienced Rendoku members froze where they are.

That was the look of a true killer.

"But…"

"I'll deal with them," said Shiki, still not taking her eyes off of the ANBU agents. "Tenten." Tenten gave a start when Shiki spoke her name. "Take Sasame and get some help for her. Hurry."

"Okay," said Tenten with a nod before picking up Sasame carefully in a fireman's carry. "Gaara."

Gaara nodded before he put both hands together, and there was a sudden whirl of wind and sand before all four Ragnarok members along with one informant were gone, leaving Shiki behind who is currently facing down two of ANBU's best combat teams.

"You're a fool if you think that you can face twelve of us at once, even if you're a nin-user." Kiba hissed, clenching his hands into fists. "You can't beat us."

"Oi, Kiba. Stand down." Sasuke hissed at his teammate, casting a wary eye on Shiki. He had never seen this Ragnarok member before, but even he isn't stupid enough to think of her as your ordinary Ragnarok member. He can tell with one glance that she is damn strong, stronger than any nin-user that he had ever seen before. And coupled with the fact that the Ragnarok members from earlier had treated her with respect… She might just be… "Who are you?"

"Ragnarok's captain, or the one that you know as Twila," said Shiki calmly, and the faces of all ANBU agents sans for Kisame and Itachi paled considerably. "I believe that this is the first time that we have actually met. And since we know who each and every one of you are, I do believe that it is only common courtesy for me to give my name, since even if you knew my name, it isn't like you can do anything." Shiki smirked a small smirk. "I'm Namikaze Shiki."

"N-Namikaze Shiki…" Shikamaru almost whispered, staring at Shiki with something akin to fascination in his eyes.

So this is the person whom they have been after for nearly five years now. The leader of the Ragnarok organisation that have escaped ANBU's clutches each and every time, and is also the one to come up with all the plans and tactics that have resulted in ANBU looking like a fool each and every time.

"Everything begins from here on out," said Shiki calmly. "It doesn't change anything even if you know who I am now. You won't be able to do anything. You've sure taken care of my people. I am merely here to return your greetings."

A cold look then entered Shiki's eyes, and acting on sheer instinct alone, all ANBU agents leapt backwards. But even as they did so, a bright beam of light then shot out, barely missing Ino by mere inches, striking the wall behind her. Even as that light did so, it then bounced off before reflecting off the nearby wall, and then again and again before it formed a web of light around the ANBU agents.

"W-What are you—?"

"_Entzunden. (Ignite)"_

The web of light glowed just then before exploding. If it wasn't because of Itachi and Sasuke who both have the sense to throw up a barrier of fire around themselves and their comrades, they would have suffered worse injuries than what they're currently suffering. But even so, all of them still suffered some serious injuries on their person.

Shiki almost snorted. "If this is all what our self-proclaimed arch nemeses could do, then you all must seriously be high on something if you think that you can do anything against us," she sneered. "Just a small piece of information to you: the technique that I've used earlier isn't all that I'm capable of. If you seriously want to bring us down, and by default, me, you're going have to become stronger than this. I can easily wipe all of you out by myself right now, but I don't want the entire country on the hunt for us either just because I've wiped you pathetic dogs out."

"Don't…look down on me…!" Ino growled, attempting to stand up despite the serious burns on her person. "This is for Sakura—"

"Stop, Ino!" Sasuke stopped Ino by placing his sheathed kodachi in front of Ino, stopping her in her tracks. "You can't beat her! You'll just be going to your death if you attack her! The differences in power between both of you are too much of a difference!"

Shiki smirked a small smirk. "Seems like someone isn't completely blind to the differences of power between two nin-users," she stated. She studied Sasuke for several moments. "So you're Rendoku's captain?" Sasuke nodded slowly. "We'll meet again someday. And when we meet again, I hope that you'll be stronger than you are now. At your current level, even someone like Hinata and Temari could beat you easily. And mind you, those two specialise more in defending techniques in my group."

Sasuke can only stare, perplexed. Did he just hear right? Did his enemy just told him to get stronger when it should be the other way around? Unseen by everyone else, Itachi glared at his younger brother, much to Kisame's amusement.

"And regarding Haruno Sakura, if you ask me, she deserves what she got." Shiki stated, and Ino's eyes flashed with fury at that. "She doesn't deserve the title of an ANBU agent. Not when she pushed someone to suicide, and had the guts to actually tell that guy's younger sister after that that he is nothing but a good-for-nothing and is better off dead. She is the one ANBU that I actually take pleasure in killing, as she doesn't deserve the title of an ANBU agent." She smirked at Ino and Kiba's enraged expressions. "The only thing that I regret is that I can't give her more pain before her final moments."

"You—"

"We'll meet again someday." Shiki cut Ino off, flinging the kodachi that she is holding against the wall not too far away from her, rendering the blade stuck in the wall which actually produced some cracks in it. "I don't have the time to play with you right now. All that I can tell you is this: our purpose here is Ne as well. But since their boss isn't here, I see no sense in playing around with you in this town." Shiki closed her eyes briefly. "We Ragnarok lived on as if every day is our last, since that is our life before Ragnarok. Live as if you were to die tomorrow. And learn as if you were to live forever. (2)"

Shiki then smirked as she placed one hand one the hilt of the kodachi before using it as a springboard of some sort, tossing herself over the wall upside down, with the black cord from which her magatama hung from, the black cord flying out from under her jacket slightly, and Itachi's eyes widened slightly when he caught sight of it, as Shiki had all but ignored him ever since her first appearance in Lakeside.

"We'll meet again, Akatsuki, Rendoku. And you can forget about trying to find us, as you can save your efforts. There is a reason, a _number _of reasons why we can stay hidden from the ANBU and the underworld for more than five years, you know? You won't find us unless we want to be found. See you!"

And Shiki then disappeared from sight, leaving behind a long and reigned silence. Chouji was the first one to break that shocked silence.

"What is going on?" The chubby boy asked in confusion. "Ragnarok wasn't involved with Ne at all? They're after them as well?"

Itachi was silent, thinking back to Tsunade's orders to them prior before the start of the mission.

**

* * *

**_Flashback:_

"_There have been some rumours going around that whenever Ne appears, Ragnarok wouldn't be far behind as well." Tsunade stated, curling her fingers before her mouth._

_Konan frowned slightly. "You think that they're helping those guys?" she asked. "But that can't be. There are rumours beforehand that Ragnarok is after Ne as well. But no one knows why, and it is still a mystery to this day. In fact, there are actually rumours that Ne had gone underground for the past four to five years because of Ragnarok."_

_Tsunade sighed. "We never know for sure," she stated. "That's why I want both Akatsuki and Rendoku to go and investigate Lakeside. If necessary…" Her honey-brown eyes hardened with resolve. "I give you permission to kill."_

_End Flashback:_

**

* * *

**'_Those four Ragnarok members from earlier…' _Itachi mused to himself, frowning slightly as he did so. _'I recognise two of them – that ice user and the sand user. As well as that Tenten girl. And I've also heard rumours about that raven haired guy. Those four are some of Ragnarok's top cards. Their presences here…and then coupled with Shiki's presence here… Could it be that they are after Ne as well like how we are, and that they aren't even working together with them? If that is the case…did we just make the greatest mistake of our life by attacking that informant girl?'_

Itachi then frowned, recalling Shiki's words from earlier.

_Everything begins from here on out. It doesn't change anything even if you know who I am now._

Itachi frowned, ironing his forehead slightly with his fingers as Konan tried hard to help Lee as well as the other injured whilst Nagato was telephoning for an ambulance. _'What is going on here?'_

_Everything begins from here, Itachi. And watch me. Because the game starts now._

_Let's play._

_

* * *

__A/N: Phew! Finally done! One of my longer chapters, I do believe. This chapter is more like the 'filler chapter' for things to come. Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_I don't have the tools and the required surgery skills for an operation of this scale. You have to take her to a hospital if you want to save her life."_

"_Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."_

"_Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."_

"_This is for the best. For everyone. I don't want you guys…you and Shiki especially to see me go."_

"_I wanted to protect you. This is the only way that I know how."_

"_You only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough."_

"_I'm a spy and informant after all. I know that I will die in the line of duty someday."_

"_You hadn't killed someone before, have you, little girl? You call yourself an ANBU, but you truly have no idea what the real world is like."_

"_I don't want to be an informant any longer if I have to see people dear to me die around me all the time."_

(1) A quote from Martin Luther King Jr.

(2) A quote from Mahatma Gandhi


	23. Sacrificial Love

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Three: Sacrificial Love**

The slow and steady ticking of the clock hanging on the wall was the only sound that could be heard in the silence of the waiting room as all of Ragnarok sans for Hinata waited soundlessly in the waiting room of the clinic of one Nishimura Rin, worry visible on all their faces.

Hinata who is currently the only one still able to use her healing powers was assisting Rin with the surgery as the doctor is trying to save Sasame's life. At this point with Sasame so close to death, _not _using their healing powers isn't exactly an option here right now. Shiki wasn't able to contact Arashi yet, something which she isn't surprised to find, as Arashi _is _an informant after all, and he is probably currently on a job.

"It's all my fault," said Haku suddenly, and everyone turned towards her. The ice user is looking extremely distressed, and her aura of gloom was so strong that everyone could almost feel her depression. "If only I was able to use my healing powers, then Sasame wouldn't have—"

"It wasn't your fault, Haku," said Shiki, interrupting Haku, and everyone turned towards her. The redhead then sighed. "It was my oversight. I didn't think that you guys would need a healer, as this is just a pure undercover mission. That's why I didn't send Hinata with you, as I didn't think that you guys would need a healer. I sent you along instead as your powers allow you to both attack and defend – something that is essential in this mission. It was _my _oversight."

Yugito sighed. "It wasn't your fault, Shiki," she said, and the others nodded. "No one knew that the ANBU will do such a thing. It is true that at that time, they see Sasame as a Ne agent, but still, technically, she is still a civilian. They shouldn't have opened fire in the first place."

"Well, the fat's really in the fire now," said Neji with a sigh. "The ANBU knew who we are now. Or at least, they knew who half of us are now. And without a doubt, they are bound to ask at all the hospitals and clinics in Japan about a girl who is brought in with a gunshot wound. As long as Sasame doesn't go to another clinic or a hospital even for treatment, she'll be safe. Rin-san can hide her for us."

"But still, the ANBU is pissing me off more and more with each passing day, and the actions that they're undertaking these days," said Shiki with a growl, crossing her arms over her chest, her eyes flashing dangerously. "We've all been in the underworld business for long enough, and I've learned plenty of lessons along the way as well. Life is not measured by the number of breaths that we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Two things are also infinite for people in our line: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."

Everyone was silent for a long time before Shino broke the silence. "People are idiots," he stated. "We all knew that, with everything that we've seen and been through for the past five years. The requests made by our clients. Some of those that we've ignored can be pretty ridiculous requests. But one thing is a fact – hatred and darkness will always exist in this world." He then sighed, leaning his head against the wall behind him. "Human lives are so fragile. It can be gone in an instant." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that. Just like a piece of glass. It can just shatter in an instant."

Temari sighed. "You only live once," she said sombrely, tightening her arms around herself, almost like trying to reassure herself in a way, "but if you do it right, once is enough." She sighed. "Just like Kankuro."

Silence fell just then, only to be broken a few moments later when the doors of the surgery room swung opened, and Rin exited out from the surgery room, wearing surgical garbs, removing the mask from around her face. There were even bloodstains on her surgical garbs and the gloves on her hands. There was also a weary look on her face.

"Rin-san! How is it?" asked Shiki, straightening up immediately and approaching Rin.

"It's no good," said Rin, shaking her head. "I don't have the tools and the required surgery skills for an operation of this scale. The bullet hit Sasame quite near the heart, and it had already taken me everything that I could in order to stop the bleeding, and to stop her blood veins from haemorrhaging any further to prevent extensive damage to her heart muscles and arteries. I am quite an accomplished doctor, Shiki. But I'm no heart surgeon. You have to get a heart surgeon's help if you want to save Sasame's life. You're going to have to take her to the hospital."

Silence fell almost immediately as everyone turned towards Shiki to gauge her expression. The redhead was gritting her teeth tightly, a look of worry and fury in her eyes as she did so. Everyone knew the risks involved should they take Sasame to the hospital; not for Ragnarok, but rather for Sasame herself. She face danger from both Ne and the ANBU should they take her to a hospital, but at this point of time, they don't really have a choice.

"Damn it!" Shiki cursed to herself. "We don't have a choice."

"I'll arrange for an ambulance to come," said Rin.

"We'll stay with Sasame," said Yugito, stepping forwards. "Shino and I will stay with her. We're the only two whom the ANBU haven't seen yet. We'll let you know if anything changes in her condition, Shiki."

**XXXXXX**

_Wind City  
Japan_

It was raining.

Almost like the heavens were weeping, Namikaze Shiki trudged through the weather beaten streets where the raindrops were pelting down hard on her, but Shiki didn't care. Rin had called for an ambulance from the hospital in Wind City – one of the major cities in central Japan, and which size and population is large enough to vie with Leaf City.

And it is in that very city where one can find Shiki right now.

All of Ragnarok sans for Shino and Yugito were currently in the boathouse docked at the ports of Wind City, with the after-mentioned two currently in the hospital, awaiting news of Sasame's condition as the two were the only ones whom the ANBU haven't seen nor exchanged blows with sometime in the past, unlike the rest of them.

"Hey. You."

Shiki turned at the sound of that voice only to see a man who seemed to be in his late thirties with a guitar case strapped on his back bound with waterproof material, with the man himself dressed in rather worn clothes. The redhead frowned slightly as she could swore that she had seen the man somewhere before. Shiki always had a good memory for names and faces, and she can usually remember someone even if she had only met them once.

Her memory clicked in just then, and Shiki snapped her fingers. "Didn't I meet you at Hiraiko nearly a year ago?" she asked, bewildered.

The man smiled and nodded. "I was afraid that you wouldn't remember me, since we never did spoke before," he said. "I remember you, since your boyfriend actually loaned my guitar just to play a song for you. It is also thanks to him that I got the most ryou that day, despite it not being me who had played that song. How is he by the way?"

Shiki's face fell slightly at that. "Well…"

The man studied Shiki for several moments before he sighed. "Well, I won't ask what had happened since you young people always have problems with your relationships," he said. "I can only say this. I don't know who you are, and I don't know who he is, since I did only met you both once. But I'm not blind to love. That boy really loves you a lot. I can see that. Despite how I look, I _have _fallen in love before, and I know what I'm talking about. If you've found love, grab hold of it and don't let go. You probably won't get another chance like that again. Don't make the same mistake that I did."

"You don't understand our situation." Shiki muttered, turning her face away. "Leave me be."

The man was silent for several moments as he studied Shiki. He then sighed. "It is true that I don't understand your situation. But at least, I want you to listen to me for a few moments," he said, and Shiki turned towards him. "I was young once, and I was in love once as well. Love is a funny thing. It can come at any moment, and can even blossom in the strangest of places. You might even know this guy for less than a day, but you'll still find yourself falling for him. But there is one thing about love and romance that I know that I'm not wrong about. People will forget about what you've said, people will forget about what you did, but people will never forget how you've made them feel. I believe that love is like that."

**XXXXXX**

_Two Days Later  
Hospital, Wind City_

It was near sundown, and the hallways of the hospital of Wind City were extremely silent. Save for the few ANBU agents patrolling the outside of the hospital building, and the nurses and doctors conducting their rounds within the hospital, there isn't anyone around at all.

When Fuuma Sasame was first brought into the hospital of Wind City with serious injuries two days ago, as given by the report from the resident doctor of Hope Clinic, Nishimura Rin, the director of the hospital also had little choice but to report the fact that a girl with a gunshot wound was just brought into his hospital. Especially since all clinics and hospitals in Japan were given a message by the ANBU, stating that if a girl with a gunshot wound was brought into their premises, they are to inform the ANBU immediately.

However, the director had lost patience when some arrogant ANBU who was sent to ascertain the patient's identity demanded for two ANBU agents to be posted outside her door whilst not allowing anyone to visit the patient, despite the fact that the patient's elder brother who was nearly tearing his hair out with worry for his sister was barely standing ten feet away from him.

The director had then kicked the ANBU agent out, and had later told the captain of the ANBU team sent by the ANBU commander later on sternly that he don't care if they are here on business, and he doesn't even care if the girl is a criminal wanted by the ANBU or just some unfortunate soul that had some information that the ANBU wants. Fuuma Sasame is still a patient in his hospital, and he had his duty as a doctor to perform to ensure that she will recover, and he will damn well do so even if he has to kick all ANBU agents out of his hospital. He'll allow them to patrol the vicinity of his hospital, but he had basically banned them from entering his hospital unless there is an emergency like a wanted criminal entering his hospital.

The emergency surgery performed on Fuuma Sasame two days ago was an extremely close one, as they have almost lost her several times, and three times, her heart had actually stopped beating. The surgeon that had performed the surgery on her had later stated that if it wasn't due to the fact that the doctor of Hope Clinic had sutured the wound as well as close up the damaged veins and heart arteries, repairing as much of the damage as she possibly could, the patient would probably have died halfway to the hospital, with the amount of blood that she had lost.

And thus, in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, two figures could be seen walking down the hallways until they came to a stop outside room 306 – the only occupied ward room in the ICU unit. A name plate was also visible on the wall outside the ward, with the name 'Fuuma Sasame' written on it.

Namikaze Shiki then pushed the door of the ward room opened silently before stepping in, before being followed by Hyuuga Neji. Fuuma Arashi was seated in a chair beside his sister's bed, the latter who was currently in the hospital bed, with bandages wrapped around her torso and neck, with the bandages just peeking through her hospital gown. An oxygen mask was also visible on her face, helping her to breathe, and several tubes were running in and out of her body – hooking her up to a machine next to her.

It wasn't easy for Shiki to contact Arashi, and when he had heard of what had happened to Sasame, he had practically dashed over to Wind City immediately, almost tearing the front doors of the hospital off of its hinges as he demanded for his sister's ward room number from the frightened receptionist.

Arashi jerked his head up from where he had nearly dozed off in his chair, and he then stood up, surprise on his face upon seeing Shiki and Neji. "Shiki? Neji?"

"Arashi." Shiki nodded to Arashi. "How is she?"

"Still the same as she is two days ago," said Arashi with a sigh, gesturing towards his sister's prone form on the hospital bed. "But more importantly, you guys shouldn't be here. There are ANBU agents patrolling outside the hospital, and they are looking for you guys after all."

"We know," said Neji, exchanging looks with Shiki before turning back towards Arashi. "We wouldn't be long. We've heard from Yugito and Shino about the surgery, and that Sasame is alright, though she isn't out of danger yet. It's just that we have to see that she is alright with our own eyes. I mean…" Neji bit on his lower lip and turned his face away in shame. "It _is_ partly our fault that Sasame is in this state after all."

"It…wasn't your fault." A raspy voice reached their ears just then, and all three turned only to see Sasame staring at them with half glazed over eyes. "I…was…just too careless."

"Sasame, don't speak!" Neji rushed over to her bedside almost immediately. "You're not out of danger yet. Save your strength."

"Sasame's right," said Arashi with a sigh. "It wasn't your fault. Both Sasame and I knew the dangers involved, as well as what we're getting ourselves into when we've both became informants. If there is anyone to blame for Sasame's current state, it is the ANBU themselves." He growled low in his throat. "That's why I hate the ANBU!"

"Sasame…" Neji whispered.

"It wasn't your fault." Sasame rasped weakly as she stared up at Neji, lifting a heavily bandaged hand to her face, and pulling the oxygen mask partially down. "I…just got careless."

Arashi and Shiki then exchanged looks before heading towards the door together. "We'll be at the cafeteria of the hospital," said Shiki, turning to look at Neji over her shoulder. "We'll give you some time together."

Neji nodded before the door swung shut behind Arashi and Shiki, and the silhouettes that could vaguely be seen through the misted glass panel in the hospital room door then disappeared from sight. Neji turned back towards Sasame, dragging a chair over so that he could sit by Sasame's bedside.

"Neji…"

"Don't talk." Neji ordered, sitting down onto the chair. "I'm glad to see that you're alright…or at least, as alright as you could be." He added, glancing at Sasame. "You literally gave us all heart attacks when that ANBU guy shot you. I only hope that I _did _punch him hard enough for him to dislocate his jaw." Neji added venomously.

Sasame laughed weakly, before coughing harshly after that. "You and Shiki shouldn't be here right now," she rasped weakly. "It's too risky for you to visit me now. The ANBU are looking for you guys, isn't it? And I've heard from Arashi-nii-san that ANBU agents are practically crawling all over the hospital."

"So I've heard. Shiki and I saw quite a few of them when we were coming here as well," said Neji. "But we aren't Ragnarok members for nothing. We have a knack for entering into places that we aren't supposed to be. Shiki and I, that is."

Sasame was silent for a long time before she spoke again. "We're the same," she said. "We're the same, aren't we?"

"Sasame?"

"Falling for someone whom we can't ever be with, a fact that we know extremely well." Sasame muttered, coughing every now and then. "We're the same." She then turned her head to look at Neji. "I know about Shiki and that Akatsuki captain. She never said anything much, but I know there's something going on between them both. And I…" She smiled weakly. "This is for the best. For everyone. I don't want you guys…you and Shiki especially to see me go."

"Sasame…"

Sasame laughed weakly. "I'm a spy and informant after all," she said. "I know that I will die in the line of duty someday. This is the fate of a spy, and something which I knew right from the start when I choose to go into this line. I knew what I'm getting myself into right from the very beginning. That's why…don't blame yourself for this. This is my decision."

"Sasame… I…" Neji tried to struggle to form some words, but the sentences couldn't come. Neji had always found it easy to form words or sentences, but right now, at a time when he needed to actually reassure Sasame that she wouldn't die, those words simply refused to come.

"Do you know something, Neji?" Sasame questioned, and Neji turned towards her. Sasame then smiled weakly at Neji. She just seems so fragile, lying on that hospital bed with all those tubes running in and out of her body. "I didn't become Shiki's informant all those years ago because Gin-san recommended us to her, despite Arashi-nii-san agreeing to it first. I became her informant because of you." Neji's eyes widened slightly. "I wanted to protect you. This is the only way that I know how." Sasame coughed harshly. "Really, love is really the strangest thing on Earth. I know that you loved Shiki, but I couldn't help it. Then I decided that as long as I can help you and to protect you with any way possible, even the smallest way, then it is enough for me."

"Sasame…"

Neji then reached for Sasame's hand, but before he can even touch her, the door of Sasame's ward room flew opened just then, and Neji turned sharply only to see a full ANBU squad standing at the doorway, all with guns pointing at him, each wearing a bullet proof vest.

"Freeze!"

Neji narrowed his eyes as he stood up, partially shielding Sasame from view, his eyes narrowing with scornful dislike and loathing for the ANBU agents currently standing in front of him, recognising each of them instantly.

"Akatsuki…" Neji hissed, sounding rather like a snake of some sort.

This is not good.

Not good at all.

**

* * *

**"Chouji!" Ino screamed at the sight of a rather furious looking Namikaze Shiki having Chouji in a hostage hold, one hand at his neck, ready to break it within a moment's notice. "You coward! Let her go!"

"You should use that word to describe yourselves." Shiki hissed with fury. "Think and reflect back on everything that you've done, and then come and tell me if you're the cowards, or if we are." She then turned her head slightly towards a wary looking Arashi. "Arashi, go to Sasame. If these guys are here, then without a doubt, they'll be going for Neji as well. And I seriously doubt that they will care if they hurt or kill Sasame as they do so."

Arashi nodded before taking off down the hallways of the hospital.

"The ANBU aren't such cowards as to hurt or to even kill a civilian!" Chouji protested weakly, his hands grasping onto Shiki's arm, but to no avail.

Shiki almost snorted, still keeping one eye on Ino. "You could have fooled me," she said with a sneer. "Might I remind you that the only reason why Sasame is in the state that she is right now is because that idiotic teammate of yours opened fire at her in the first place? She almost died, do you know that? If it wasn't because of a doctor friend of ours, she would have!"

"Let Chouji go!" Ino demanded, the gun in her hands shaking slightly as she pointed it at Shiki, a fact that Shiki seemed to have noticed almost immediately.

"I've had it with you ANBU bastards." Shiki hissed, her eyes flashing murder, and Ino gulped, taking one step backwards, something that Chouji wished that he could do right now. "Again and again, you kept committing atrocities against my people again and again. I can forgive it if it is just me alone, but if you touch my people, you'll pay for it! And the nin-users of this country as well… You ANBU bastards preach about liberty and decency and glory and honour and all that crap, yet you have no qualms about leaving the nin-users to die. I've seen that hundreds of times, so don't you dare tell me that you didn't! You fucking bastards, you left them to _die,_ and I've seen how they have suffered! We couldn't save every single one of them, and those that we have failed to save, they died cursing the world and the people who have given them nothing but pain. Can _you _tell me that you can live with that sinful blood on your hands?"

"I…" Ino stammered, the gun in her hands shaking slightly as she pointed it at Shiki.

The redhead smirked slightly, the ends of her lips pulling slightly as she did so. "You hadn't killed anyone before, have you, _little girl?" _Shiki nearly sneered. "You called yourself an ANBU, but you truly have no idea what the real world is like."

The echoing sound of a gunshot rang out from somewhere in the hospital just then, and the two ANBU agents with one Ragnarok captain turned their heads sharply towards that initial direction. Shiki then frowned slightly, immediately realising where that gunshot had came from.

'_That's from where Sasame and Neji…'_

Shiki is starting to have a really bad feeling about this…

It is just like that time with Kankuro when she had a bad feeling, and less than two hours later, she had found Kankuro dead. Most nin-users have very good instincts and survival senses because of how they've lived, and Shiki had survived this long because of relying on her instincts and survival senses.

Ino got the fright of her life when Chouji was suddenly thrown at her, and that sudden action along with the additional weight of her chubby teammate had the effect to cause her to fall over. And the next moment, there was the sound of shattering glass as the glass pieces of the nearby window fell all over Ino and Chouji, and then, Namikaze Shiki was gone.

**

* * *

**The loud echoing sound of the gunshot echoed all throughout the ward room of 306, and there was even the sound of splattering blood as the crimson liquid splattered onto the pristine white tiles of the hospital.

Neji's eyes widened in horror at the figure clad in the white hospital gown had suddenly performed a supposed to be impossible feat by literally planting herself in front of him, and had taken the gunshot meant for him in the chest.

"S-Sasame…" Neji whispered in horror as he stared at the girl.

Sasame shouldn't even able to have the strength to move on her own right now, with the seriousness of her injuries, so how could she be able to literally cover nearly five paces of the room in record time even without him noticing?

Itachi snarled in anger, glaring at Deidara who had been the one to fire that gunshot, and the blonde looked extremely petrified of Itachi for a moment, along with every single one of his teammates right now, as this is actually the first time that any of them have ever seen Itachi so angry.

"Deidara…! Why the hell did you open fire?" Itachi almost snarled at Deidara. "Did I give you the order to shoot?"

Sasame coughed out blood, with the crimson liquid seeping from the ends of her lips as she turned her head weakly to look at Neji over her shoulder who still had on a petrified and horrified look on his face. She then fell slowly backwards, only for Neji to catch her in his arms just before she could hit the ground.

"S-Sasame…" Neji whispered, his eyes wide with horror. "You…shouldn't have done that… I was ready to intercept that gunshot… Why…?"

"My…body moved on its own accord." Sasame whispered. She then smiled weakly. "This…is it for me, I'm afraid… Tell Shiki…that I'm sorry…that I couldn't help her…any longer… It's really…too bad…that I couldn't…see her bring down Ne…and Danzo…and that…I couldn't see her…bring about a…new era in this…chaotic world that…we now live in." Sasame coughed harshly once more, with the blood trailing from the ends of her lips as she did so. She then raised a shaking hand before cupping Neji's face. She then smiled weakly. "I'm…content enough…to just die in your arms like this…"

Neji shook his head frantically. "No…! You're not going to die!"

Sasame smiled weakly. "Live on…"

Her eyes then slid shut, and her breathing stilled.

"SASAME!"

The glass pane of the window behind Neji shattered into pieces just then with a loud crash, and this is enough to startle all the Akatsuki that none of them were able to do anything as Shiki appeared in the room via the broken window.

"Neji, what—" Shiki's voice was caught in her throat when she saw Sasame's prone form, and Neji's current state, and she then knew enough to put two and two together. "Sasame…" She nearly whispered. _'This can't be happening…!' _She then turned towards the Akatsuki, and they are all literally frozen to their spots when they saw the pure anger and hatred in the eyes of the redhead. "You damn ANBU…!"

"What the hell is going on here—" Another party crasher arrived at the scene just then, in the form of Fuuma Arashi, and the eyes of the informant widened in horror when he saw the current situation in front of him from his place at the opened doorway. "Sasame…"

The informant's eyes then narrowed together in fury as he literally threw a punch towards Deidara who is the one currently standing closest to him who was literally sent flying across the ground, and Arashi then planted himself in between the ANBU agents and Neji and Shiki.

"Arashi!"

"Both of you, run!" Arashi commanded, as a pair of hand daggers appeared like magic in his hands.

"But…"

"Run!"

Shiki gritted her teeth before turning towards Neji. "Damn it! Neji, come!"

"But…"

"Neji, just go!" Arashi commanded without taking his eyes off of the Akatsuki. "I'll be fine. Go!"

Neji nodded before laying Sasame back gently onto the ground and taking off after Shiki as she leapt out of the window. Before leaving however, he turned back to have one last look back at Sasame, but she neither moved nor opened her eyes.

It was then that Neji knew that Sasame will never open her eyes again.

**XXXXXX**

_Akatsuki's Office  
ANBU Headquarters, Leaf City_

"What the hell do you think that you're doing back there?" Itachi still hadn't yet finished railing at Deidara despite already having been at it for the past hour ever since returning to the ANBU headquarters approximately an hour ago. "Why the hell did you even open fire in the first place?"

Fuuma Arashi was silently angry with them, though furious is probably a more appropriate word for it, and had refuted all attempts of ANBU 'escort' to his hometown, actually declaring that he would rather go all 'buddy' with Ne than accept ANBU help.

As the ANBU technically didn't have a reason to hold Arashi in any of their interrogation rooms apart from the fact that he seemed to know Ragnarok, and then again, he _is _an informant by trade, and is bound to know all kinds of people. If ANBU has to arrest anyone who had a connection to Ragnarok, they would have to arrest half the country, since Ragnarok had several clients throughout the years.

Rendoku's Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji were still in a deep shock, due to their brief encounter with the captain of Ragnarok, and Sasuke is still trying to calm them both down back in his own team's meeting room.

Itachi had been silently angry all the way back to ANBU headquarters, and after giving his report to Tsunade, he had then promptly dragged his entire team back to his team's meeting room and had locked the door. Following that had then been the longest hour of Deidara's life as he received the roasting of his life by his captain. It was a wonder that Itachi hadn't yet received the urge to cook Deidara alive with his flames yet.

"I didn't have a choice!" Deidara protested, finally managing to put in a word, as Itachi had been so angry with him that the blonde bomber simply didn't dare to even utter a peep. "That guy was going to do something to attack you or something! I couldn't simply just stand there and do nothing! Besides, we have our orders from Tsunade-sama to take out any Ragnarok member that we encounter if we couldn't bring them back in alive! I _know _how you feel about those orders, Itachi!" Deidara cut Itachi off before he could say anything. "I feel the same way myself! As do everyone here!" The rest of Akatsuki shifted on their feet uncomfortably. "But orders are orders, you know that! As ANBU, we _can't _defy our orders, or you'll know the consequences that _might _and _will _follow if we do that! You are my captain, Itachi, and that is why it is also part of _my _duties as an Akatsuki ANBU to protect you with my life!"

"And I would also like to remind you that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much!" Itachi snarled back, his temper rising to the surface once more. Itachi had been short tempered with just about everyone lately, and had basically kicked them all; no matter what they did in order to prevent themselves from getting on his bad side. "And now, because of your hot headiness, there is now a civilian _dead _thanks to you! I can just imagine the headlines of the papers tomorrow as well as the reactions of the ANBU Chief and the High Council!"

Deidara flinched at that.

Itachi snarled and practically threw his arms up with frustration. "Forget it! No one around here listens to me anymore! Go ahead! Go and do whatever you want! I've just about had it with all of you! Everyone around here always thinks that they're always right and that they knew better than I! I've just about had it! Go on, go and do whatever you want! I'm washing my hands off you!"

He then turned and left the office, slamming the door behind him so fiercely that cracks had actually developed in the walls.

**XXXXXX**

_Two Days Later  
Crematorium, Aoyama_

Two days later can find Namikaze Shiki and Hyuuga Neji walking towards the crematorium in Aoyama, a town in the northern part of Japan, and which is Sasame and Arashi's hometown. A riot had nearly broken out in Japan when the papers have reported the details of Sasame's death, and that she is actually injured once by an ANBU agent, and killed by another in the hospital.

And if the ANBU isn't careful, they might just face another civil war like back then, something which Shiki is sure that no one wants again, as they are all still recovering from the last war. And truthfully, Shiki doesn't care anymore. Sasame's death is the last straw for her now. Usually, she had quite a tight rein on Ragnarok, making sure that they don't go about causing any unnecessary deaths, even if she feels that the ANBU kind of deserves it, but now…

Sasame might be an informant, but she is still a civilian, and isn't it the ANBU's sworn duty to protect the civilians of the country? What, they're not beneath killing civilians now if they just happened to get in their way? Then they might as well go about committing genocide then!

Arashi was standing in front of the panel where Sasame's ashes were cremated behind, wearing a sleeveless black vest and cargo jeans, a solemn look on his face as he stared at his sister's picture on the cremation panel.

"Sorry." Shiki said with a sigh as she stopped behind Arashi with Neji standing beside her. She studied Sasame's picture for several moments before she spoke again. "I knew that no matter how many 'I'm sorry's that I've said, it can't bring Sasame back. But still, I'm sorry."

"No, it wasn't your fault," said Arashi, turning to face Shiki and Neji. He then managed a wan smile. "Sasame wouldn't have blamed you if she is still here now. She went the way that she wanted to. And besides, I knew that Sasame would probably die in the line of duty one day. That's what it actually means to be an informant. Both of us knew that. I just didn't expect for that day to be so soon, and that she will actually go before me. This is ridiculous."

"The ANBU didn't do anything to you, did they?" Neji asked with concern, and Arashi shook his head.

"No, they didn't. They actually tried to, but they didn't have enough evidence, and neither do they have the right to keep me locked up in the interrogation room," he said. "It's actually the fact that I'm an informant that actually made them release me. That ANBU commander lady actually tried to have me work for them as an ANBU informant, but I said some pretty colourful words to them. I actually told them to their faces that I'll rather be Ne's informant than be the ANBU's informant, especially since it is the ANBU who had killed my sister! What, putting her in the hospital isn't enough, they have to kill her too? This is ridiculous." Arashi glared at the ground.

"Arashi…"

"I have just about had it with this life." Arashi mumbled. "I'm grateful to Gin-san for taking me and my sister in when we didn't have anywhere to go, and trained us as informants. I don't want to be an informant any longer if I have to see people dear to me die around me all the time."

"Well, I can't say that I don't understand your reasoning," said Shiki with a sigh. "Actually, I kind of had a suspicion that you will do something like this. From the start, being one of my informants is kind of risky, and I've told you both that at that time, but you still didn't care. But I guess that truth had hit a little close to home right now. Losing you and your services as an informant at this point in time is a big blow, Arashi, but I can handle it. I still have other informants that I can use, though they aren't as good as you."

"Don't worry about it," said Arashi with a sigh. "I hate leaving my jobs undone as well, and Iruka-san doesn't really go more into the active service of informants like how I and Sasame do. He is more towards the technical side of informants by using his computer and hacking by gaining his information. I want to see Ne and Danzo go down too, and I didn't work on this assignment for over a year only to give up on it now." He then sighed and turned towards Shiki. "Don't worry, I'll still help you nail them down, and end all that issue with that Bijuu Shrine. But once it is over, I don't want to be an informant any longer."

Shiki sighed and nodded. "I understand."

* * *

_A/N: So sorry for killing Sasame off! But her death is rather needed to keep the plot moving! Also, I do have a favour that I would like to ask my readers. Is there a kind soul out there that might be so kind as to help me draw some pictures for this fic, as I'm planning on making a video of some sort for this story, and I really suck at drawing people! Don't worry, I'll give you credit for it._

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_It's okay. I'll take responsibility. Bomb the place."_

"_This time…you ANBU fucktards have gone too far…!"_

"_Hear this, you're only alive as long as we wish it. We can end your lives easily anytime that we want."_

"_Do you idiots really think that you hold the power of a god? Fools."_

"_You ANBU are nothing but murderers! I hate the ANBU!"_

"_I want to know. Where is that person that I knew?"_

"_If I can't break out of this Hell that is this world, then I shall drag everyone down to Hell with me!"_

"_We've found the one who had been hiding from Ne ever since he had dared to betray them and Danzo, and had also been the one to give us information on them five years ago."_

_**Upcoming Stories:**_

_**The Ice Princess of Rikkaidai: Life in America (The Prince of Tennis)**_

_Prequel of TIPoR. Ever wondered what Echizen Rika's life in America is like prior to Rikkaidai? Join the crazy adventures of the St. Andrew's tennis team, and learn just why the team loves their vice-captain so much. _

_**My Other Half (Naruto)**_

_FemNaru. All twins are like one single entity. On the night of the Kyuubi attack, Uchiha Madara took one Namikaze Sayo away with him to Akatsuki where she is trained to be one of their members. Now, nearly fifteen years later, both Namikaze twins met each other for the first time, and can Sayo bring herself to bring her twin to instant death when Akatsuki and the Leaf-nins faced each other in battle?_

_**One Last Hope (Naruto)**_

_AU FemNaru. The attack on the village by Akatsuki had greater repercussions than expected, and war was soon declared on the elemental nations by the Choushuu. Desperate to at least save whatever lives that she could, Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage sent three of her best ninjas to Kyoto to seek the help of the Shinsengumi - Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata and Namikaze Sayo. Naruto/Hakuoki crossover. Saitou/FemNaru_

_**The Will to Protect (Naruto)**_

_FemNaru. With the aftermath of the Akatsuki attack, the Council of Elders and the Fire daimyo, with an overruled voting to select the next Hokage, picked one Namikaze Sayo, the Hokage's right hand and ANBU captain as the Rokudaime Hokage. Shikamaru/FemNaru_

_**Death's Spiel (Naruto)**_

_FemNaru. After the ninja nations had fallen to the Akatsuki during the war, Namikaze Sayo soon took to travelling in search of the one who had destroyed her home and unexpectedly gain new allies in the form of vampires when she had came across them in the small rainy town of Forks. Edward/FemNaru_

_**Heiress of the Master of Spirits: Nura Rhiya (Nurarihyon no Mago)**_

_What if Nurarihyon had a granddaughter instead of a grandson, and what if his granddaughter is a half-youkai instead of a quarter youkai? Watch Nura Rhiya as she venture on her own goal to become the Third Heir, and to attain the title of the Supreme Commander. Zen/FemRikuo_

_**A New Name, A Different Life (Harry Potter)**_

_AU FemHarry. Hilda Potter is the much forgotten twin of the famous Boy-Who-Lived. When Remus Lupin and Sirius Black overheard a conversation between the Potter parents and Dumbledore to place Hilda with the Dursleys, they then took it upon themselves to take Hilda away to Lily's distant cousin, Natori Shuuichi, who then decided to raise Hilda as Natori Hikari, his younger sister. HP/Natsume Yuujinchou crossover. Hikari/Tanuma_


	24. Show of Horror

Welcome back to another chapter of Blood Red Moon! And some people have been asking me via reviews just why Shiki is being a wee bit too lenient on ANBU and their 'sins'. I admit that Shiki seems a little too lenient and easy-going on them, but you'll see the reason why in this chapter. Also, the story is going to take a darker twist from here on out, as this is a new arc in the series now.

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Four: Show of Horror**

_Cat's Eye Café  
Hiraiko, Japan_

The bell tinkled somewhere in the café of Cat's Eye as Shisei Haku and Sabaku no Gaara pushed opened the door and entering the shop. The usual warm aroma of coffee and cookies surrounded the café, with the smell particularly enticing for the two who hadn't really had a good meal for days, something which isn't their fault as neither of them had any appetite for food, along with all their friends.

"Haku-san! Gaara-san!" Usegi Moegi, the part-time waitress that Iruka had hired at his café smiled at them, with a lime green apron over her shirt and jeans.

"Iruka-san isn't here today?" asked Haku, looking around the café but failed to see the smiling café owner who always had a kind smile and a word for her and her friends ever since they were small children, and even way before Ragnarok's formation. The man had been like an older brother or even a parent to the group of them, and even though they don't really need anyone else since they always have each other, Iruka had always been the one to make sure that they're eating well and sleeping right when they were younger.

Miyugi Udon shook his head. "No, he's out at the moment, as he had gone to stock up on coffee beans," he explained. "He really should have done that a few days ago, but he was busy with something."

Haku and Gaara exchanged looks, knowing what that had meant. Iruka is also an informant, but unlike Arashi and Sasame who were more in the active service of informants, Iruka only deals with the technical side of things – basically, the computer stuff.

"One of his informant jobs again, I guess?" Gaara sighed, plopping himself down on one of the seats at the bar counter where they usually sat at.

"Not really. It's just something that Shiki-san had asked him for a favour a few years ago, from what I'd heard," said Moegi, and both Haku and Gaara turned towards her sharply.

"Moegi, whatever do you mean?" asked Haku, confused. "Shiki asked Iruka-san to do a job for her?"

Usually, when Shiki requires some information that she couldn't find by herself, she usually got Shino to do it for her, along with maybe Neji, Gaara or Haku, as the four of them are the best at information gathering, even though they're not quite up to Arashi or Sasame's skill as informants. And even then, the rest of Ragnarok will usually know about it.

"You mean you guys didn't know?" Udon asked in confusion. "Shiki-san has been investigating your parents' deaths, as well as the deaths of her own parents for the past four years. She had gotten Iruka-san to help out with it, along with a few others, though I don't really know who."

"Our…parents' deaths?" Haku said slowly as if hoping she was hearing wrong.

She then remembered something that Shiki had mentioned a long time ago about how things don't really add up, and that why is it that all of their parents seemed to have suffered particularly violent deaths, and how their murderers were also coincidentally never found. Haku had shaken it off at that time about it just being a mere coincidence, but Shiki didn't seem to think so, and they never spoke of it after that.

'_It can't be…' _Haku thought, narrowing her eyes slightly.

**

* * *

**_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
Hiraiko, Japan_

"I don't know anything," said Shiki stubbornly two hours later after being cornered by Haku and Gaara. "It is true that I've asked Iruka to check on some things for me, but I don't know anything, as he had been unable to find out anything thus far!"

"Shiki, please tell us!" Haku almost pleaded with Shiki. "I know that you know something! I never knew why my father had wanted me and my mother dead so much as well back then, and I had never thought to ask, as even Zabuza-san didn't want to talk about it! If you know anything, please tell us! We have a right to know about our parents' deaths!"

"And I'm saying that I don't know anything!" Shiki snapped before turning and leaving the rooftop of the boathouse where they were at. A short moment later, both Haku and Gaara heard the front door of the boathouse slammed shut, and then, silence reigned.

"She's pissed off." Gaara muttered, staring at the entrance to the rooftop of the boathouse. "I had never seen Shiki like this before."

A head popped up out from the ladder that leads down to the boathouse just then, revealing Shino's visage, and the insect user then sighed before stepping out onto the rooftop and approaching Gaara and Haku both. "Shiki seemed to be in a pretty bad mood earlier when she stormed past me and nearly ripped the door off its hinges when she had stormed out." He informed the two. "Did you two do anything? I had never seen her that pissed before. Well, apart from that time with Kankuro and Sasame, but you know what I mean."

Haku and Gaara exchanged glances before the latter sighed and launched into a brief explanation about their little 'argument' with Shiki earlier. And at the end of it, both of Shino's eyebrows could barely be seen as it had gone so high up that it had nearly disappeared into his hairline.

"Do you two have a death wish or something?" he muttered sarcastically. "There is a reason, a _number _of reasons why all of us have been treading on eggshells around her of late, you know? I am aware that it has been a month or so ever since Sasame's death, but Shiki hasn't exactly been in the correct mood lately. And neither is Neji."

"I am aware of that." Haku muttered guiltily.

"And do you both have a reason to doubt Shiki?" Shino asked with a sigh, hands on his hips.

"No," said Gaara with a shake of his head. "She hasn't given us a reason to do that yet. Shiki is the one person whom I'll trust full heartedly, and I'm sure that Temari does too, as does everyone here. Because for us, she is the first person who had stretched out her hand to us and had helped us, and had accepted us. Shino, you feel the same too, didn't you?" Shino sighed and nodded. "I trust Shiki. To the point of being willing to give up my life for her if necessary, just like my brother months before. I trust Shiki more than anyone else in this world. Full heartedly."

Haku nodded. "Same here."

Shino sighed. "You both are her best friends, and the only two in all of Ragnarok who probably knew and understood her best, sans for perhaps Neji and myself," he said. "If you both trust her as much as you said that you are, then give her that same trust now. The same trust that she'd given all of us when she'd accepted us without a second thought. It isn't that she doesn't want to tell you. It's that she can't. Not right now at least. She is protecting you guys in a way as well."

"Shino, do you know something about this?" asked Gaara suspiciously.

Shino sighed, not feeling at all intimidated by Gaara's glare. "Just briefly," he said, telling only half-truth and half-lie. "Shiki had gotten me to help out with it about a year or so ago. But she didn't allow me to tell anyone anything."

"I see," said Haku with a sigh. "Well, that sounds just like Shiki."

"Also, I have a message from Shiki," said Shino, and both Gaara and Haku turned towards him. The insect user sighed again. "We have a pretty strange message earlier, and whoever the sender of that email is, he said that he has some information on the Roots organisation, and that he'll only tell us about it face-to-face. He had set up an appointment at the TV station at nine o'clock tonight. I tried tracing the sender of that mail, but I can't find anything."

"Sounds awfully fishy to me," remarked Haku, and Gaara nodded, agreeing with her.

"Definitely."

"And what did Shiki say about it?" asked Haku with a frown.

"Well, she had the same mindset as you both, but it doesn't hurt to check it out," said Shino with a sigh. "She's sending you both along with Neji to find out more about it. But be careful."

**XXXXXX**

_That Night  
TV Station, Aaokori_

"It's awfully quiet," said Haku in a low voice whilst being perched on a rafter above the TV station. "I got a rather bad feeling about this."

"Same here." Gaara agreed.

Neji said nothing.

It wasn't too difficult for the three of them to infiltrate the TV station, as all of Ragnarok were pretty skilled in terms of infiltration and spying – probably due to their sideline jobs for carrying out vengeance requests, and all of them have the knack for entering places that they aren't supposed to, and knowing information that they aren't supposed to get their hands on. This was especially true for Shiki, Shino and perhaps Gaara.

The room in the TV station that they were currently in was dark, with only a few lights lighting up the area, and Haku could vaguely see several cameras and equipment standing all around the place. The ice maiden then frowned as there was a light hissing sound as the glass doors of the entrance to this room swished opened, and a lone figure being clad in a dark cloak with a hood over his or her head could be seen, though judging by the physique of this person, Haku could tell that it's a he.

"Is that the guy?" asked Neji with a frown, feeling that something is seriously wrong here.

"Probably." Gaara muttered slowly, also getting a bad vibe.

Haku's sharp eyes then caught sight of part of the guy's right hand that could vaguely be seen out of the sleeve of his cloak before he clenched it into a fist, and something silver could then be seen glinting around his fist. Something that looks like wires?

Haku's eyes widened in shock as she realised what is going on immediately. "Shit!" she cursed.

Too late.

As one, the rafters that all three were currently perched on gave way almost immediately as the wires sliced the rafters apart, and Gaara, Haku and Neji then fell straight to the ground, landing lightly onto their feet as the remains of the rafters crashed down around them, creating a resounding crash and throwing up a large plume of dust and debris as it did so.

"You are the one who called us here?" Neji questioned.

There was a slight pause before the cloaked individual then raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The sound echoed all around the silent room, and the next instant, the walls of the building had then fallen apart, and lights immediately brightened up the area before all three Ragnarok members saw a crew of cameramen with the filming crew surrounding them.

The cloaked individual then threw his cloak off only to reveal a pale skinned silver haired teen not much older than them whom Gaara had found oddly familiar, with the teen wearing a long sleeved white shirt with purple pants and black boots.

"Welcome…to the Show of Terror!" he said with a malicious looking grin.

The three Ragnarok members narrowed their eyes dangerously, and the temperature then dropped sharply.

**

* * *

**_ANBU Commander's Office  
ANBU Headquarters, Leaf City_

Senju Tsunade who was currently watching the television with a bored expression on her face whilst switching channels every now and then with the remote control in her hand stopped the switching of channels when she came across a channel with the show that the TV station is currently filming being shown live on the television.

And three of the people currently being on the screen of the television are part of the little assassination organisation that the ANBU have been after for the past five or so years.

Scowling, Tsunade pressed on the intercom on the telephone on her desk, connecting it directly to Control. "Get me through to teams Akatsuki and Rendoku," she ordered. "I want those two teams sent out to the TV station at Aaokori immediately."

**

* * *

**_Thirteenth Street  
Hagako, Japan_

The sounds of the television in a nearby store caused Shiki to pause in her tracks as she turned towards the source of the sound only to have her eyes widening a slight fraction when she saw what is currently being shown live on the television screen.

Frowning slightly, she pulled out her cellphone and dialled a number. Three rings later, the call was picked up. "Shino? It's me," said Shiki curtly, her eyes currently glued to the television screen. "Listen, I want you to get the others and meet me at the river harbour of Hagako immediately. I think that we have an immediate situation that we need to handle."

**

* * *

**_TV Station  
Aaokori_

"Seems like this is indeed a trap." Neji remarked, glancing around him at all the surrounding people. "Though I can't say that I'm surprised. Shiki did say that this entire affair smells like a trap. And if it is one, she gave us all freedom to hunt down the one who had instigated it in the first place, though it is best if we just knock out any innocent bystanders around."

"I'll take it that she gave us permission to kill then," said Haku, pulling out a pair of black leather gloves from her pockets and strapping them onto her hands.

"You've got that right," said Gaara darkly as a swirl of sand started swirling around him and all around the crew. "I'll just put the bystanders to sleep then."

A whirlwind of sand started to pick up around the filming crew, enveloping them from view for several moments before the sand dispersed, and both Haku and Neji, along with the one who had lured them here in the first place saw that the filming crew were all out cold onto the ground with not a scratch on them.

"Now that that's out of the way…" said Neji, turning towards the guy who had lured them here in the first place. "What's your name?"

"Ukon."

The three Ragnarok members then exchanged looks before sighing as one. "Haku, you're up," said Neji with a grunt.

Haku sighed as she stepped forward, both hands clenching into fists. "Sure, call on me again," she said a tad bit sarcastically.

Gaara almost snorted. "Oh, come on. It's been awhile since you've fought anyway. Just don't go overkill like the last time. I think that that town is still creating popsicles in that _ice rink_ that you've made out of their town."

Haku blushed slightly. "…right," she muttered. "Just don't interfere unless you want to turn into an ice statue."

"Wouldn't even dream of it," muttered Neji.

Haku's eyes widened when she spotted the emblem of the Oto organisation on the sleeve of Ukon's shirt, and as her eyes trailed over his body, she spotted that black tattoo-like mark on the groove between his shoulder and his neck, and she narrowed her eyes.

"I see. You're originally from Oto, aren't you?" she questioned, and both Neji and Gaara tensed up behind her. "Or at least, you're _formerly_ from them, especially after we've killed your leader who is currently sipping tea in the Great Beyond nearly a year ago. I recognise that mark. You're a member of Orochimaru's cursed army. One of the cursed children!" She sighed. "Oh well. It just means that I won't have to hold back on you. I thought that we'd taken care of all of you, and some of our other friends have taken care of the small fry in Oto after Shiki had fried Orochimaru. Looks like we've missed you out."

"Don't underestimate me, you bitch!" Ukon roared before running towards Haku, his skin transforming into a reddish-brown as he did so, with horns sprouting out of his head.

Haku wasn't in the least bit intimidated though, and neither were the two boys standing behind her. "Geez…" she muttered before stretching out one hand and grabbing Ukon's fist by the arm mere inches before Ukon could touch her. "I don't really like picking on weaklings, you know? But I'll make an exception for you, as I want to test something out as well." Haku then turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder. "Hold your breath."

Gaara nearly groaned when he realised what Haku is going to do, and immediately covered his nose and his mouth with one arm, with Neji mimicking his actions. Once Haku is satisfied that they were both following her instructions, she then turned back towards Ukon who was currently fighting hand and nail to free his arm from Haku's grasp. Unfortunately for the guy, all of Ragnarok were extremely skilled in hand-to-hand combat even _without_ using their powers, as that is the first thing that Shiki had made damn sure that they knew.

Haku then spoke the two words that would mark Ukon's demise and dismissal from this world.

"Diamond Dust."

**XXXXXX**

"A-Are you sure, Tsunade-sama?" Uchiha Itachi asked hesitantly whilst in the car with Kisame in the front passenger seat next to him, currently speaking through the communicator that every ANBU transport was equipped with. "Something like that is just…"

"_It'll be just fine," _said Tsunade's rather exasperated voice. _"I'll take all responsibility for this. Bomb the place."_

"Itachi?" Kisame voiced out, though the look on his face showed that he is uncomfortable with this order as well.

Itachi sighed before flipping the switch on his communicator, changing to the channel that would connect him to the two-man team that made up of Deidara and Sasori. "Deidara, bomb the place."

A split second later, a loud explosion wrecked the TV station, along with a large orange ball of fire that lit the dark skies up properly, along with the large mushroom cloud of smoke that rose upwards with the explosion.

All members of the ANBU currently present at the scene watched with bated breath as the black smoke slowly drifted away before their eyes widened in shock to see the three Ragnarok members whom they were sent after that night glaring at them, and they definitely don't look happy.

The long haired guy with the strange eyes had both his hands outstretched by his sides, with his hands glowing slightly with a strange blue glow, and all of Akatsuki knew him as Hyuuga Neji, the king of the impenetrable barrier. The only girl among the group had one knee against the ground with her right hand supporting her weight as she breathed heavily. The redhead of the group was kneeling on the girl's other side as he breathed heavily, yet was glaring at the ANBU agents before he growled and turned towards Neji.

"How many?" he asked.

"Only twenty three," said Neji with a shake of his head, not taking his eyes off of the ANBU agents, and letting his arms fell by his sides, with the vaguely visible barrier surrounding them falling as it did so. "There are still lots more in the TV station. Even if they're not dead now, they're bound to be in a few moments. No human can survive an explosion like that, even for a nin-user." He then narrowed his eyes dangerously as he took one step forwards, and acting by sheer instinct alone, all ANBU agents took one step backwards. "You know, it wasn't my intention to go after you, as we all have our orders from our captain _not _to go after you fuckers. We don't like it, but we understood the reasoning why. You ANBU had just fucked with us for the last time… Kankuro…Sasame… How many more innocent people are you murderers going to kill before you're satisfied? And just to get to us…you even killed a whole bunch of people who merely happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? You ANBU fuckers go about preaching about justice and honour and all that crap, and yet, you have no qualms about killing a whole bunch of innocent people just to get to us." Neji's eyes flashed dangerously. _"You make me sick!"_

Gaara stepped forwards next, a murderous look on his face as sand whirled about dangerously around him. "Shiki told us not to kill you guys, but she didn't say not to hurt you or even to maim you. And you ANBU fuckers sure have _a lot_ to answer for, especially after what you'd done to her!"

"I don't care about my own life now." Neji growled, taking another step forwards, his hands balling into fists. "You killed Sasame. I'll rather die here now and take as many of you as I can with me as I go, then live a long life and watch you go about unpunished for what you'd done! Ragnarok had been carrying out the vengeances and grievances of our clients for the past few years now, and yet, we'd never carried out our own vengeances. Well, you ANBU fuckers. Guess what? This…is _my _vengeance!"

He then vanished in a blur before appearing in front of a seemingly shocked Deidara with his right fist pulled back, ready to sock Deidara one. But that punch never came, as an arm came out of nowhere, grabbing Neji by the arm.

Neji's eyes widened slightly in surprise when he saw who had stopped him. "…Shiki…"

Shiki sighed, glancing at Neji. "I understand your reasoning, but you have to keep calm now," she said. "And it looks like I've just made it in time." She added, glancing at the shocked faces of all the surrounding ANBU agents. She then turned back towards Neji. "Neji, the others need you now. Go to them."

"You are not getting anywhere!" Ino growled before she opened fire with her gun, this action being mimicked by Lee and Kiba.

"Idiots!" Itachi shouted to them. "What do you think that you're doing? That won't work on them!"

"Fools." Shiki muttered, glancing at the ANBU agents.

Before a single bullet can even touch Shiki and Neji, a flock of crows from out of nowhere appeared in front of them both just then, absorbing the gunfire before dispersing like black mist.

"Crows?" Sasuke muttered in disbelief. "Where did they come from?"

The rest of the Ragnarok members sans for their leader turned their heads towards some random building behind them only to see Shino and Yugito standing on the rooftop, a crow currently perching on Shino's arm.

"Shino! Yugito!"

"We're your reinforcements!" shouted Yugito, dropping down to the ground before being followed by Shino, both of them barely making a sound as they landed, rushing to Haku and Gaara's sides. "The others are on their way! Our orders?"

Every single Ragnarok member turned towards Shiki just then who was eyeing the ANBU agents with an unreadable expression on her face, but the ANBU agents didn't like that look in her eyes. The redhead then narrowed her eyes dangerously as she released her hold on Neji's arm.

"Neji, how many survived?" she questioned, not taking her eyes off of the ANBU agents surrounding them.

Neji sighed. "Not more than twenty three," he reported. "That's all that I could save, as the explosion caught us by surprise as well. If it wasn't because of Haku who had thrown up a protective ice wall to give us some protection for a few scant seconds before I could throw up my barrier, we would have died as well."

Shiki narrowed her eyes dangerously at that answer. "You ANBU fuckers…" she hissed. "Again and again, you kept doing things like this. You know what? I don't care anymore. I kept my people from hurting you guys in the past because no matter what you've done to us, you are still the justice of this country. But I've had just about enough." She then turned to face Ino before her eyes narrowed, and a golden ring appeared in a flash around Ino's neck.

"Ino!"

"You idiots shouldn't move if you know what's good for you!" Yugito called out with a devious smirk, seeing Chouji and Lee about to move to Ino's aid. "That is if you still want your comrade alive, and _not _missing her head."

All ANBU agents present froze just then on the spot as they turned towards Shiki who was looking on with a nonchalant expression, almost like she wasn't holding their comrade's life in her hands. The ANBU agents knew that any rash movement is going to be very stupid now, as all of them have faced nin-users before, and they knew how powerful they could be. This is especially true for Ragnarok, as they have never won a single battle against them once before, and the ANBU are usually the ones that came out looking stupid.

"Ino…" Chouji whispered in fear, his gun that is currently fixated on the Ragnarok members trembling slightly.

There was a slight thud just then before the other Ragnarok members arrived on the scene, landing directly behind Gaara and Haku. Yugito smirked slightly before turning to face Temari, Tenten and Hinata. "You're late," she stated.

"My apologies," said Temari, not really sounding very apologetic.

"W-What is that power?" Konan almost whispered, her eyes wide as she stared at the golden ring currently around a petrified Ino's neck. "I've never seen anything like that before!"

"Come to think of it, you ANBU have never seen Shiki using her power before, have you?" Neji questioned with a smirk. "That golden ring is merely one of her powers." The eyes of all ANBU agents went wide. _One_ of? "You see, most nin-users are elemental types. A non-elemental type isn't unheard of among us nin-users, but also extremely rare. You'll probably only see one every one hundred years or so. Even my power holds some form of elemental manipulation. I manipulate space. But unlike us, Shiki is no elemental type. Her power is this world itself: she controls light and dark." A devious smirk spread over his face. "As long as you are in a place where light and dark reaches, you are in her domain. And as long as you are in a place where you are in her domain, there is nothing that you can do to her, and nothing that she can't do to you."

Itachi's eyes widened in slight horror. _'Light and dark? My god… Such a power… No wonder she had never used it before! A power like that… No one can literally touch her as long as she is in a place where light and dark touches which is basically __**everywhere!'**_

"It is better for you to not move, girl." Shiki stated, glancing at Ino. "Unless you want to lose your head." Ino stilled her movements at that comment, and Shiki then glanced at all the other ANBU agents. "You know, when I've first set up Ragnarok years ago, we have originally intended for it to be an organisation that protects those that couldn't protect themselves, and also punished those that the law can't touch. All of us in Ragnarok knew first hand that even the ANBU won't punish certain people who have broken the law. Thus, we decided that if the ANBU won't do their job properly, then we'll do it for you. And we'll also exact the vengeance for those that couldn't see justice done. I've also had quite enough of you ANBU bastards."

Shiki narrowed her eyes before she closed her right hand into a fist, and before the horrified eyes of all ANBU agents present, the golden ring around Ino's neck grew smaller and narrower until it went right through Ino's pale neck, effectively severing her neck from her shoulders. Her head actually went rolling towards Chouji's foot, her glassy eyes looking up towards him, nearly causing the plump boy to throw up his dinner.

"Ino!"

"Why…?" Shikamaru whispered in horror. "Why are you people—"

"For justice." Shiki answered. "An eye for an eye. For years, we've carried out the vengeance and the injustice done to people from all over, but we've never done anything about _our _own vengeance."

Itachi's eyes widened when he remembered what that Neji guy had said just moments prior.

_Ragnarok had been carrying out the vengeances and grievances of our clients for the past few years now, and yet, we'd never carried out our own vengeances._

"No more of this," said Shiki with a shake of her head. "No more of this. I've had just about enough. And I'm sure my people are more than sick of you by now. You ANBU want to play with us? Fine, we'll return that gesture. You ask me why I've killed your pathetic excuse of a comrade. My answer is this: we are just returning the fight that _you've_ started! Haven't you people heard? If you play with fire, you'll get burned." She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I'll make you ANBU scream. I'll make you scream as I make you watch your loved ones and comrades die one after the other, and you can do _nothing _to save them! I'll make you feel helpless and worthless. I'll make you feel like your life isn't worth peanuts! I'll make you feel that you're better off dead than continue living on in this cursed world! The _same way _that _you_ ANBU fuckers made _us _feel _and _watch our loved ones and friends die in front of us!"

"W-We didn't…" Konan muttered weakly, yet in her heart of hearts, she knew that what the Ragnarok captain speaks is probably the truth. She had learned during her time in the ANBU that not everything that the ANBU did is all righteous and good. But…

Shiki looked over her shoulder and towards her comrades. A devious looking smirk then covered her face. "The ban is off now," she said. "I'll lift the ban concerning the ANBU that I'd made about them some time back." Similar looking smirks appeared on the faces of her comrades. "Go wild."

The members from Ragnarok didn't need to be told twice.

Almost immediately, they dashed towards the ANBU, and pretty soon, the ANBU agents were all trying their utmost best to hold them all off as Ragnarok rained down numerous blows and attacks on the ANBU agents. Nearly a decade of frustration and resentment towards the ANBU and the world were currently being unleashed.

Itachi let out a light gasp as Shiki appeared in front of him in an instant, a cold look on her face.

"Shiki…" he muttered.

"Draw your weapon, Itachi," said Shiki, with a pair of hand daggers appearing in both her hands like magic, with the redhead twirling the daggers about by hooking the corner hook of the hilts of her daggers with one finger. "The time has come. And it is about time that you ANBU paid for your sins in blood. Because this time…" She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "…you ANBU fuckers have gone too far…"

**

* * *

**"Haku…" Kisame sighed as he faced his sister's stony stare head on. "Do we really have to do this? I don't wish to hurt you, or even to kill you."

"A bit too late for that now, don't you think, nii-sama?" Haku stated. "How many people do you think have died here tonight? And how many people do _you _think have died before this?"

"We are human, Haku," said Kisame. "Not even we can save everyone that needs saving. You should know this."

"I know. But you could at least have tried to save them and tried to solve some murder cases instead of getting a scapegoat for it because the real murderer is a politician or something!" Haku nearly screamed at Kisame. "Before this, all of us are under orders from Shiki to _not _kill any of you from ANBU. But she's lifted the ban now, so…" Haku stretched out one arm before an ice blade slowly formed in her hand, and she grabbed hold of the blade. "Fight me seriously, nii-sama."

**

* * *

**"Geez…" Shiki muttered as she took a quick look around at her comrades. "It isn't good to draw this out as well."

And before Itachi could even say or do anything, Shiki immediately took off into the air by using a nearby tree as a springing board, launching herself into mid-air before she stretched both arms out, and a light webbing like the one that she'd used back when she had saved Sasame from the ANBU was launched.

"What the…?" Hinata can only stare at the light web that had appeared in the area where she was at, and she turned her neck up to look at Shiki who had landed onto a nearby tree branch of some tree. "Shiki! You're unbelievable! You hadn't used your power in _years, _and the moment that you do, you actually do it in midair?"

"Be quiet!" Shiki snapped before looking at the ANBU agents. "I really don't want to do this, but I don't want to see my people die as well. And I can't kill of you here as well, as I don't want all of ANBU to start hunting us down more than ever, if they aren't already. And do you idiots really think that you hold the power of a god? Fools." She snapped her fingers before the light web surrounding each ANBU exploded.

"Damn…you…" Kiba cursed out.

Shiki took one look at Kiba like he is something that ought to be scrapped off the bottom of her shoe before taking one look at Itachi and towards her comrades. "Fall back!" she called. "We're done here now." She then turned to look at Sasuke and Itachi. "As a reward for managing to survive the battle here, relay a message to Senju Tsunade for me: you can run, but you can't hide. The blood debt that you owe us…I'll be sure to collect it from you in full someday." She smirked a small devious smirk. "We'll see you again."

Then she was gone.

**XXXXXX**

Things couldn't get any worse for the ANBU.

They were almost flooded with angry letters and curse words from the members of the public the moment that word had gotten out about the fiasco of the TV station, and there were even several members of the public demanding for a change of the ANBU commander. But nothing beats the one hour long lecture that the ANBU Chief had in store for Tsunade when he had railed at her down the telephone that morning when he had seen the morning papers.

It went something like this:

ANBU Chief: _"What the hell are you thinking? Fifty seven people! Fifty seven people __**died**_ _because of you!"_

Tsunade: "We couldn't afford to let Ragnarok escape! That's why—"

ANBU Chief: _"Did you suffer a knock to the head recently or something? Is something like this even worth people's lives? It is true that getting Ragnarok is important, but the precedence of people's lives takes higher priority over this! You're an ANBU, not a killer! Act like one!" Click!_

And thus, one Uchiha Itachi had a very bad migraine the size of a mountain right now as he sat in his team's meeting room as the Akatsuki had an unofficial meeting amongst themselves. Rendoku was particularly subdued, as they've already lost two people to Ragnarok, and Kiba was nearly beside himself in rage that Sasuke actually had to knock him out so that he don't go into fits.

"Truthfully, I don't blame Ragnarok and that Shiki girl for being this pissed," said Nagato all of a sudden, almost like continuing a conversation. "I would probably react this way as well if I am them."

"Nagato, don't tell me that you agree with their methods?" asked Sasori with a frown.

"No. I don't particularly agree with some of their methods, but I agree that they have a point in their way of thinking and their argument as well," said Nagato with a sigh. "If they could find a…less aggressive way of getting their point across, then I'll probably not feel so against it. But as it is…"

"Namikaze Shiki…" said Deidara with a frown. "I've heard about her before." He glanced at his teammates, not noticing Itachi's tension at that. "One of the members of my band used to be in the underworld. He mentioned about her in passing once a long time ago. That girl is dangerous. There's a reason why she's the Number One in Hagako, the City of the Dead back then, being the leader of the infamous street gang Blade that even the ANBU are wary of back then. You _don't _fight with her. I've heard from Seto that she had once killed a whole bunch of street punks in Hagako just because they happened to be there when she's in a bad mood."

Silence.

"Just what have we gotten ourselves into?" Konan asked at last.

Itachi didn't say anything to that.

'_Shiki…'_

**XXXXXX**

Itachi dropped by the TV station that afternoon to check out the situation as several other ANBU agents were digging out the dead bodies of those who were caught up in the explosion, with the families of all the dead standing around. There were loud screams and cries as they recognised the bodies of their loved ones, and even some curses at the ANBU. But one in particular caught Itachi's attention.

He recognised the crying brunette girl immediately who was kneeling next to a corpse currently being covered by a while cloth, with a boy her age trying to calm her down. Itachi recognised the two as the part time waiters at Cat's Eye, and he felt his heart clench at that.

Up until now, all those innocent bystanders who have gotten caught up with the affairs of the ANBU and had died as a result are people who are nameless and faceless to him – people whom he doesn't know.

But this…

"Moegi, calm down!" Miyugi Udon tried to restrain and calm his hysterical friend down as she attempted to attack a nearby ANBU agent who looked extremely guilt stricken as it is. "Even if you kill him, it won't bring your father back!"

"I don't care!" Moegi screamed, trying to get out of Udon's hold. "You ANBU are nothing but murderers! You killed my father! I _hate_ the ANBU!"

Itachi can only stare on as Moegi was lead away by Udon before he allowed a stray tear to flow down his cheek, clenching his hands into fists in his pockets.

'_I'm…tired of it. I'm sick and tired of this. What should I do now? What should I do? Tell me…Shiki…'_

_

* * *

__**Preview of next chapter**_

"_I want to know. Where is that person that I knew?"_

"_How do you expect them to forgive the ANBU and you?"_

"_Hatred only gives birth to more hatred. That is a fact."_

"_We've found the one who had been hiding from Ne ever since he had dared to betray them and Danzo, and had also been the one to give us information on them five years ago."_


	25. The Other Promise

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Five: The Other Promise**

_Akatsuki's Office  
__ANBU Headquarters, Leaf City_

"Itachi, we're leaving."

"Hn."

Deidara and Sasori both exchanged looks between themselves as they stood at Sasori's desk, with the blonde waiting for his partner, and with the redhead currently pulling on his coat as they both got ready to leave.

Itachi hadn't said more than a complete sentence for the past week ever since the TV station bombing incident, and only Kisame could get more than a 'Hnn' and 'Un' out of Itachi, and even then, it wasn't a lot. Itachi hadn't exactly been in the correct mood as well lately, and all of team Akatsuki have been treading on eggshells around their captain, lest they want to be burned to a crisp by the Ice King.

Sasori exchanged looks with Deidara before they both shrugged and left the office, glancing behind them at Kisame who was seated at his desk, staring off into space as a pen was tucked behind his ear. Itachi was sitting in front of his desk as well, with his fingers curled together before his mouth, with the guy staring at the computer screen in front of him, yet not seemingly seeing anything at all.

It had only been a little over a week ever since the TV station explosion, and things really couldn't have gotten worse for the ANBU. Riots had actually nearly broken out within the streets, and even Itachi wasn't happy with Tsunade's decision back then. He wished for the hundredth time that he hadn't been so stupid as to obey his orders, but what's done is done.

Itachi turned silently towards his computer screen which had several photos of the bodies of the unfortunate caught up in that explosion meant for Ragnarok. Several of those bodies were practically beyond recognition as they were burned so badly that it actually requires a DNA test in order to identify them.

It makes Itachi sick to the stomach to even look at those photos, and to listen to the wails and cries of the loved ones of those unfortunate as they were asked to identify the bodies.

It reminds him of the chaotic era back during the war, and when people were dying left, right and center before the war had ended.

And make no mistake, Shiki is indeed pissed off now.

Itachi had never seen her so angry back then, and if truth be told, even he is a tad bit afraid of the redhead for a moment. Furthermore, she is actually pissed off enough to end up using her powers, something which Itachi had never seen her do before. This meant that Shiki is entirely serious from now on when she had practically declared war against the ANBU, not that Itachi can blame her. In his opinion, Shiki and Ragnarok had every right to do that.

Itachi sighed, inviting attention from Kisame who is the only one apart from him in the office. The water nin-user said nothing for several moments as he looked at Itachi. "Kisame, can you tell me?" Itachi asked, looking towards Kisame's direction. "Can you tell me if we are really doing the right thing? Is what we're doing now…truly justice? And if it is justice, then what _is _justice? Does it even exist? What we've done…it can't be forgiven."

Itachi bit on his bottom lip. "Hell, even I can't forgive myself. I don't blame Shiki for being so angry. It's already a mercy in itself that she didn't kill me. I…don't deserve forgiveness. My sins…are too great. Shiki is right. Ragnarok is right. By doing what we had done these past few years just in order to get to them by the means of sacrificing so many innocent lives…" Itachi paused and took a deep breath. "We're no better than Ne and Oto, or Orochimaru even. Hell, we're probably worse off. Tell me, Kisame." Itachi looked at the solemn looking man sitting across him. "Are…we really doing the right thing here?"

There was silence for several moments before Kisame answered, and the shark-like man sighed deeply. "I don't know either," he admitted. "I've been asking myself this question ever since Haku…" He sighed and shook his head. "She isn't that happy with me either back at the TV station. She asked me some things, though 'confronted' is more like it. I told her before that I've entered the ANBU to find her. But now that I've found her, what is still keeping me in the ANBU? The brother that she knew is a kind hearted person and someone full of justice. Someone who wouldn't resort to underhanded methods, and someone who wouldn't do something wrong just to achieve his goals. She asked me where her brother of that time went to. And I…" Kisame clenched his hands into fists on his desk. "I…can't answer her. Because I don't even know the answer to that any longer."

"I guess it's true then, what they've said," said Itachi. "Joining the ANBU is equivalent to eating the devil's fruit. Iruka-san told me that when I've first told him all those years back that I'm joining the ANBU, and I didn't listen to him."

"Come on, it wasn't your fault," said Kisame comfortingly. "You did it to save your brother. If you didn't do that, both you and your brother would probably have died on the streets. There's only so much that you can do alone."

"I knew what is going to happen back then if I should join the ANBU," said Itachi, gritting his teeth together. "I was thirteen then, and I was old enough to know the consequences. I thought that I could take it. I thought that as long as I stuck to my principles and morals, I will do no wrong. But…" Itachi looked away. "…it's easier said than done."

Kisame sighed. "When did things became so complicated?" he muttered.

**XXXXXX**

"Please come again."

That night, one can find one Uchiha Itachi walking out of The Locket slightly drunk, an elite bar in Leaf City which the ANBU agents of Akatsuki often frequented on weekends.

Itachi himself had also been dragged there by force by his teammates once when he'd first turned eighteen, all of them determined to celebrate Itachi's coming-of-age in a bar. Itachi had actually heard from Kisame that he had thrown up on Sasori's shoes that night, though he can't remember it. It made the Uchiha wished that he had remembered the events of that night, as the redhead's face must be priceless then.

Itachi barely made it more than ten paces away from the bar before he stopped by the wall, with said wall giving him some support by holding him up before the teen threw up all the contents of his stomach, expelling everything that he had supposedly eaten in his entire life.

He finally stopped throwing up after a few moments, silently cursing himself for drinking nearly six bottles of hard vodka on an empty stomach. _Of course _he would throw up, with that much abuse to his stomach!

Light footsteps reach his ears just then, with those footsteps barely making any sound on the ground at all, and Itachi looked up at that.

The streets of Leaf City were always deserted at this time of the night, especially with all the recent mess happening with the ANBU and Ragnarok, and thus, no one was around in the streets. The lights from the street lamps were the only sources of lights that could still be seen in the streets, with the streets still wet from the recent light drizzle of rain.

But still, even in Itachi's slightly drunken state after the teen had tried getting himself hammered with six bottles of hard vodka, but to no avail, he could still recognise the person standing in front of him.

"…Shiki," he muttered.

Namikaze Shiki sighed before she studied Itachi back in turn, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "We need to talk," she stated.

* * *

_TV Station  
__Aaokori, Japan_

Shiki ended up leading Itachi to the TV station at Aaokori for some reason.

The TV station was currently in shambles thanks to the bomb explosion that Tsunade had ordered nearly a week ago. As it is, they were lucky that half of the building of the TV station was still standing. Broken planks were laid everywhere, and dust and debris covered the entire place, along with the surroundings of the TV station.

"W-Why have you brought me here?" asked Itachi uneasily.

Shiki took a few steps forward without saying anything before kneeling down by several broken wooden planks, moving it away only to pick up a silver engagement ring, holding it in between her forefinger and thumb as she stood up, showing it to Itachi as she turned around without saying anything for several moments.

"Do you even know what you are doing, Itachi?" Shiki questioned, without any form of anger in her voice at all.

Itachi would have preferred it if Shiki had yelled at him. Her getting angry at him is just a small glimmer of hope that he still had that Shiki still carried feelings for him, and still loved him. But now, with that bland expression in both her voice and face…

It kind of creeps Itachi out slightly.

"I…"

"I've gone to every single place that you've ever taken me to in the past," said Shiki, almost like Itachi hadn't said anything at all. "I've also been looking through all our old photos. Looking and looking. And I want to know." She looked straight into Itachi's guilt-stricken eyes. "Where is that person that I've once known? Where is that boy whom I've first met in Cat's Eye all those years ago with the look of a person drenched in cold pouring rain? Where is that boy that kept on stalking me all over the place, refusing to leave me alone back then? Where is that boy that would even help an injured cat or a stray dog left out in the rain, making sure that they have food and shelter for the night? Where is the Uchiha Itachi that I'd once known who would _never_ hurt or kill an innocent person?" Shiki's voice had started out from soft to until she is almost shouting at Itachi, her hands clenched into fists by her sides. "Tell me, Itachi. Where is that person from back then?"

"I…"

"Back then, when you told me that you've joined the ANBU in order to protect your younger brother, I didn't like it, but I understand your reasoning. And I even thought that that is noble of you to do everything that you have to do in order to protect your last living kin," said Shiki, turning her head away slightly before turning to look back into Itachi's eyes. "Many people during that chaotic period just gave up on protecting their loved ones because it's just so damn hard to do so when they could barely even fend for themselves. But you didn't give up. You just gave in to the harsh reality of the world by taking the easy way out."

Itachi flinched back like he had just been struck.

"I didn't blame you for that, as I knew that you didn't have many options opened to you then. But then, the TV station incident… How could you do such a thing? How could you murder nearly hundreds of innocent people in a single night just to get to us?" Shiki was nearly shouting as she gripped hold of Itachi's shirt, an enraged look in her eyes. "Are you ANBU bastards trying to play at God or something by deciding on who lives and who dies? And if that is so, then how much different are you from Orochimaru and Danzo? Those people have _nothing_ to do with us! If you ANBU have any complaints, then address this directly to us! Not to the innocents! Leave them _out_ of it! Your fight is with us, not them!"

"I…didn't want to do this in the first place at all, Shiki." Itachi said weakly, having endured blow after blow from Shiki, but he also knew that he deserved it.

"Moegi asked me to find this for her," said Shiki, opening the fingers of her right hand only to reveal the silver engagement ring that she had shown Itachi earlier lying in the palm of her hand. "It was her father's when he had first proposed to her mother who was killed during the aftermath of the war when riots were at an all-time high when Moegi was barely a year old. Her father was all that she has left." Shiki closed her fingers around the ring before slipping it into her pocket. "Do you know that her father was one of the victims at the explosion at ground zero?"

Itachi almost flinched. Ground zero. Shiki's code for 'the murders that the ANBU were responsible for at the TV station'. The Uchiha closed his eyes briefly, remembering how agitated Moegi had been when she had identified her father's body during that night when he was at the TV station, and how Udon had to restrain Moegi from attacking the ANBU novices on duty that night.

"Yeah, I know," said Itachi at last, opening his eyes. "I…saw her that night when she was here to identify her father's body."

"So that's why you hadn't been by at Cat's Eye for some time now." Shiki stated blandly. "Moegi's father brought her up single-handedly. Both of them only have each other, as her father had never remarried. Usegi-san, Moegi's father, used to take care of Iruka after his parents have died during the war when he was barely out of middle school. That's the reason why Iruka had offered Moegi a part-time job at Cat's Eye along with Udon when they have both first entered middle school, and was old enough to work at part-time jobs. Usegi-san had to take on several jobs just to put Moegi through school, and to ensure that they both have enough money just to survive. He would rather starve and go hungry for days on end than see Moegi starve. That's just how kind he is. He is one of the few that had always been kind to us, and always had a kind word to say to us as well. And you killed him."

Shiki clenched her hands into fists by her sides. "Moegi has never been a great fan of the ANBU. And neither are Udon and Iruka. Alongside some of Iruka's friends. And with what you've done… How do you expect them to forgive the ANBU and you? How do you expect the people to accept the ANBU after what has happened? Do you want to help the people of this country or to destroy them? You call us Ragnarok cold blooded murderers just because of what we do. But then, it's okay if you bombed the TV station just to get to us?" Shiki narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Just how much of a hypocrite can you be?"

"But then, why did you kill Ino?" Itachi asked. "It has nothing to do with her! It was me who had acted on that order! Me and the Akatsuki! It has nothing to do with Rendoku! Then why—"

"She's as guilty as the lot of you when you people chose to put on rose covered glasses and look at the world through them." Shiki retorted. "We're just returning the fight that _you _people started! So don't blame me for this. And you should understand this by now. Hatred only gives birth to more hatred. That is a fact. It's rather unfortunate, but even you can't deny the fact that hatred rules our world. That's just the way that this world works. Fear breeds hatred, hatred breeds spite, and spite breeds wrath." Shiki studied Itachi intently. "It is a never ending cycle."

Itachi closed his eyes in dismay, recalling something that Kisame had told him once.

_But seeing her alive and well…is good enough for me. She doesn't have to acknowledge me as her brother. As long as she's alive and in good health, I am satisfied. I don't care even if she hates me. As long as she's alive…_

"Why are you both…?" Itachi muttered, his eyes closed to prevent Shiki from seeing his agony and internal turmoil. He then opened his eyes again, and Shiki narrowed her eyes instantly. The temperature of the surroundings seemed to go up several degrees as well. "Why are Kisame and you both always like this?"

Itachi raised his voice for the first time in his life, almost losing control of his fire ability, nearly forgetting the fact that a nin-user can lose control of their powers if their emotions go spinning out of control, or their power can be amplified ten times if they have some intensive emotions within them.

"I've told you back then, Itachi," said Shiki calmly. "If I can't break out of this Hell that is this world, then I shall drag everyone down to Hell with me!"

Itachi said nothing for several moments. "Do we really have to end up turning against each other in the end?" he asked at last. "Do we really have to fight each other to the death in order to end this? Just like that tragic play… Just like Loveless… Your favourite book." He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. "Why are you even doing this, Shiki?"

"Because I have to," said Shiki. "The more that I see, the more tired that I got." She looked away briefly from Itachi before turning back towards him again. "So much so that I can no longer believe in the future, and in the goodness of people's hearts. Because all I see are negativity, and that people always hurt others. I've seen too much of the darkness in people's hearts that I can no longer believe nor see the little light that is still left. It came to such a point that I started to believe that…erasing those who had that 'darkness', that 'evil' in them…is the only way to stop that 'darkness'. It is true that what we're doing now probably isn't true justice itself, but what do you want us to do? We might be doing evil now, but we tried to take more evil with us than what we've left behind. That…is how we in Ragnarok do things."

"Even so, why?" Itachi asked. "Why…? _Why is it always you?" _His voice echoed around the surroundings. "Why…? Why must you be the one to carry all of this?"

"Because Fate decides so."

"And how the fuck do you even know that?" Itachi demanded, coming close to losing his temper. "You know what? I'm tired of it all. I'm sick and tired of it all! Everyone always thinks that no one else should pick on them just because they're miserable enough as it is—"

_When my family found out what had happened to me, and that the side-effects of those blasted experiments allowed me to breathe underwater easily, they threw me out, saying that I'm a freak._

_If their words can be trusted, pigs can fly. You're an ANBU agent yourself. You should know this better than anyone else. Not all criminals are punished by the law. Some got off. As even the law is not omnipotent._

"-Everyone always thinks that the other side who is the enemy must be the bad guy—"

_But this mysterious group…Ragnarok is what they called themselves. They've been around for about two years now, at this point in time. Ragnarok is a mercenary group for hire…__**assassins**__for hire._

"—and everyone always thinks that they're right." Itachi curled his right hand into a fist slowly, his knuckles slowly turning white as he did so. "Everyone always thinks that the decision that they've made is the right one, no matter the cost. And then again, this is human nature, so who am I to judge that? Well, I'm sick and tired of it all!" Itachi's voice almost came out as a snarl towards the end.

"I know that I'm doing the right thing here." Shiki stated.

"Even if the price that you have to pay is your _life?" _Itachi almost shouted. He was taken aback the next moment when three golden rings appear in midair around Shiki, with one of the combat knives that she was using against him that night appearing in her right hand like magic, with tears nearly falling from her eyes. "Shiki… Why are you torturing yourself like this? Why are you making me do this?" Itachi wanted to know. He then closed his eyes before opening them again. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"I know what I'm getting myself into the day when I've made the decision to set up Ragnarok." Shiki answered. "It is true that initially, I've done it for the sake of the others. All just to protect them. But pretty soon, it soon became something that we're doing to protect the nin-users and all those people who can't see justice done. And we both knew that we might have to end up fighting against each other one day. We knew that this day will come sooner or later. I just…didn't expect it this soon. No." Shiki shook her head. "I knew that this day is long coming." She met Itachi's eyes. "Please don't hold back, Itachi. Don't insult me by doing so. And if I should fall here, promise me that you will not let Gaara and the others know what had transpired between us!"

Itachi clenched his teeth together in fury, and a crimson glow could actually be seen emanating from both his hands as well. _"What the hell is your problem?" _He nearly screamed at Shiki. "Why are you making me do this? You and Kisame both… You are both _exactly _the same! He refused to listen to me as well when he had gone after his sister repeatedly. And you…you refused to listen to me after I've learned about your involvement in Ragnarok, and what you represent to them." He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. "You both…you think that you can do whatever you want. Well, I'm sick and tired of it all." He pointed one finger at Shiki. "Go on then. Both of you. Just keep on running. The both of you can just keep on running. But I'll always be there." He spread both his hands out from him before a crimson glow glowed around his hands, and wheels of fire then surrounded both his hands. "I'll always be there to _bring the both of you back!"_

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

"Welcome back, Shiki," said Gaara the moment that Shiki had stepped in through the door, bringing with her a vague smell of something burnt. "What happened to your coat? Did you get caught in a fire or something?" He asked, pointing out the slightly singed ends of Shiki's coat which was still smoking slightly, despite the rain outside.

"S-Something like that." Shiki managed a weak smile.

**

* * *

**

_TV Station  
__Aaokori, Japan_

The raindrops pelted down repeatedly on Uchiha Itachi, but he ignored the rain as it dripped off the ends of his coat and his hair. The captain of the ANBU's best combat team stared at the ground almost like it held something fascinating to him, with that black and charred grounds, when just a few hours ago, it was filled with lush and healthy green grass.

Itachi gritted his teeth together in fury, clenching his hands into fists by his sides, ignoring the numerous tears and cuts in his coat. "Damn it…"

_I've had enough, Itachi. I've had just about enough. I can't just sit back and do nothing when I keep seeing people get hurt around me. And now, even with Ragnarok, I can't even protect my friends, the very people dearest to me. I've had no intention right from the start to mess with whatever that the ANBU are doing, but I can't stay silent when the ANBU kept targeting us. It is for your own good that I'm saying this now. Leave the ANBU before it's too late. Or you'll probably end up like Hidan._

"What do you mean by that, Shiki?" Itachi asked no one in particular. "Too late? It's already too late for me. Tell me, Shiki. I… _What should I do now?" _He shouted out that last part to the skies. He then chuckled darkly to himself, covering his eyes with his hand as he sank against a nearby tree, with his back hitting the trunk of the tree and sliding partially down it. "I'm really a sinful person, aren't I? I do nothing but deceive and deceive. I'm tired of it all. I'm sick and tired of it all. This play that is my life."

**

* * *

**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

"I see," said Gaara with a raised brow, studying Shiki from head to toe. "Well, I guess that it's really none of my business. The others are all asleep, but Shino has something to tell you. It seems important."

"Okay," said Shiki with a nod as Gaara trudged up the winding stairs, the sound of his footsteps fading into nothingness as he headed towards the bedroom that all the boys shared in the boathouse. Shiki then sighed before closing the door of the boathouse behind her before moving towards where Shino was sitting at his usual place, sitting in front of his ever trusty laptop as usual, a pair of headphones over his ears. "Shino, what is it?"

Shino removed the headphones from his ears before turning around in his swivel chair to face Shiki, a serious look on his face. "We've located him, Shiki," he said matter-of-factly, tilting one thumb over his shoulder.

Shiki raised a brow. "'Him'?" she echoed in confusion, before light dawned on her, and her eyes widened slightly in realisation. "You mean…?"

"Yes," said Shino with a nod, a slight smirk spreading over his facial features. "We've found the one who had been hiding from Ne ever since he had dared to betray them and Danzo, and had also been the one to give us information on them five years ago. The only one who knows more about them than anyone else in the world."

A slow smirk spread over Shiki's face as Shino said that.

"…Sai."

**XXXXXX**

_Starlight's Hall  
__Wind City, Japan_

The Starlight's Hall bar in Wind City, one of the major cities in the country of Japan similar in power and standing to that of the capital city, Leaf City, is a bar which had basically seen all walks of life, and which people from all over frequent – including those of the underworld.

Most of the underworld gangs often frequent that bar, and it also happens to be the one place where one can easily get damage drugs or get 'deals' seen through easily…as long as you know the proper procedure.

And it is also somewhere outside that bar where one could find Sabaku no Gaara and Namikaze Shiki, with the two waiting for word from some of the others as they searched for the ever evasive Sai.

All of Ragnarok had first-hand experience just how slippery that teen could be, as they've been searching for the guy for nearly five years ever since he had given them the information about Ne and Danzo five years ago, resulting in Ne's temporary disappearance from the underworld until Orochimaru had kicked the bucket nearly a year ago. And if the pale faced teen doesn't want to be found, he won't be.

"It's really been a long time since we've last seen Sai," said Gaara with a sigh, breaking the silence as the two waited atop some tree branches within some random tree in Wind City. The redhead was standing on the tree branch with his arms crossed over his chest, with Shiki sitting on the same branch that he was on, with both her legs dangling down below her. "Five years to be exact. He turned up out of the blue one day at our doorstep, gave us sensitive information on Ne and Danzo, then vanished again for five years without a trace. None of us have seen him since."

Shiki sighed. "He never changes, that guy," she muttered, and Gaara raised a brow. "He's like that even back then, and he still is even now. And he probably will still stay the same even in the future. He never changes. And like always, he always had a tendency to appear here and there without warning before vanishing the next minute the moment that you take your eyes off of him. He's always like this."

"You know him?" asked Gaara, though he already had an initial suspicion five years ago when Sai had first appeared on their doorstep that Shiki and Sai were already acquainted beforehand, and were probably even friends in a way.

"Kind of," said Shiki, glancing at Gaara out of the corner of her eye. "He's a member of my old gang – one of the few survivors of the street gang Blade, Hagako's most dangerous gang."

Right on cue, a low rumble of thunder rumbled in the distance, and Gaara fell silent.

He, along with his siblings, as well as the Hyuuga cousins, were among the first ones to meet Shiki, and to join up with her, even though Ragnarok wasn't even formed back then. And naturally, he knew about Shiki's affiliation with the street gang Blade, as they have actually met some of the few survivors of her old gang at Nagako once a few years ago – Sumaru, Hotaru and Mizura, even before Haku had joined them.

"After Blade…had sort of 'disbanded', Sai became a freelance agent for hire," said Shiki, twiddling her thumbs together. "He did all kinds of jobs – recovery, assassination, snatching, cracking, hacking, you name it. With the right price, he did it."

"Kind of like Arashi and Sasame?" asked Gaara with a frown, and Shiki nodded.

"Sai is one of the best out there, alongside those two. And it is also because he is so good at what he does that he caught the eye of Danzo," said Shiki with a sigh, and Gaara flinched. "Back then, back during my days with Blade, he had a foster brother. An older brother. That older brother was one of the people under me back in Blade, and it is because of Yamato that led to Sai joining Blade in the first place."

"Did…this Yamato die?" asked Gaara slowly. "Back during the attack on your old gang?"

Shiki shrugged. "I have no idea," she said. "Yamato's body was never found during the aftermath of the attack, unlike Riku, Sara and the others, so there is still a chance that Yamato is still alive. Sai believes that too. That's why he had been searching for Yamato these past five years." She glanced at Gaara out of the corner of her eye. "Because for Sai, Yamato is the first one who had extended his hand to him, and had tried to help him, and had also accepted him."

Her words struck a chord in Gaara's heart. As to Sai, this Yamato person is to him what Shiki is to all of them in Ragnarok.

"But why did he join Ne?" asked Gaara with a frown on his face. "He should know what kind of reputation that Ne and Danzo have in the underworld, if he is as good as a freelance agent as you've said he is."

There was silence for awhile before Shiki spoke again. "I don't really know about all the details," she stated, curling her fingers together on her knees as she looked down at the ground below her. "But from what I've heard from Arashi back then, Danzo offered to help Sai find Yamato. Sai accepted, and he ended up joining Ne in exchange for Danzo's help."

She looked towards Gaara. "If truth be told, I don't think that Danzo really had any intention to help Sai find Yamato. And as the years goes by, I think that Sai realises that too. That was probably why he had betrayed them five years ago. He knew that I've been targeting Danzo and Orochimaru back then, and by default, Ne and Oto. That's probably why he had came looking for me, and had actually turned up on our doorstep on that stormy night five years ago just to hand over the information about Danzo and Ne. We owed him lots when we were able to drive Danzo and Ne into hiding for five years until Orochimaru had kicked the bucket a year ago."

Shiki sighed, running the fingers of her right hand through her hair. "He's always like this. He's a free spirit, never really staying in one place for long. He's like that even back then. He's a wanderer. Never really belonging anywhere but the road that he is travelling on. But when it comes to his friends, he'll fight tooth and nail to protect them. I've been worried about him ever since I've heard from Arashi that he is on the run from Ne after Danzo had placed all efforts to search for him. But Sai will be alright. He can take care of himself."

Gaara snorted. "He's a strange person as well," he commented.

**

* * *

**

A half-drunken Sai was hoisted to his feet by a rather furious looking Tenten when the bun-haired girl grabbed him by the collar of his coat, almost lifting him off his feet a few inches, which is quite a feat in itself, as the guy was at least one and a half heads taller than Tenten.

The group that Shiki had sent to locate Sai that consisted of Tenten, Neji and Temari have managed to locate the guy with little to no difficulty, acting on the coordinates that Shiki had given them when Shino had managed to track him down with much difficulty.

As usual, the guy is good at hiding.

The three have then waited until Sai had walked out of Starlight's Hall half-drunk before 'kidnapping' him and dragging him to an alleyway two streets away before Sai had recognised Tenten even in his half drunk state, and had said something about someone ordering the death of Tenten's father which of course, had the immediate effect to set off the usually fiery brunette immediately.

"Oi Tenten!" Temari protested. "Stop that—"

"Be quiet, Temari!" Tenten snapped. She then turned to glare at Sai. "What did you just _say _about my father? Why did anyone even want my father dead in the first place?"

"Shiki didn't tell you?" Sai almost slurred.

"You—"

A hand latched out from nowhere, grabbing hold of Tenten's arm before she could deck Sai one. Startled, the bun haired girl turned towards the owner of that arm only to see that it's Shiki herself, with Gaara standing behind her with his arms crossed over his chest.

The redhead in question sighed. "Tenten, I've asked the three of you to locate Sai for me. I most definitely _didn't_ ask you three to come here and start beating him up," she said with exasperation. "I'll handle this from here. Stand down."

Tenten nodded sullenly before releasing her hold on Sai, allowing him to crumple to the ground in a heap. She then turned and walked out of the alleyway, before being followed by Temari. Neji half turned in his step towards Gaara and Shiki.

"Will you both be alright on your own?" he asked worriedly.

Shiki waved his concerns off. "I'll be just fine," she said. "Go and see to Tenten."

Neji nodded before turning and leaving the alleyway. There were a few moments before the sounds of his footsteps faded away, and both Shiki and Gaara then turned towards Sai who was currently coughing and puking his guts out over the dumpster, almost sticking his face into the trashcan.

Shiki sighed, taking two steps forwards before standing by his side, her hands stuffed into her pockets. "I hadn't seen you for a long time, five years to be exact, and this is the sight that I see the moment that I see you?" she deadpanned. "What an unsightly sight."

Sai coughed harshly before wiping at his lips with the back of his left hand, and turning half-glazed eyes up to look at Shiki, with Gaara leaning against the wall near the entrance of the alleyway, standing guard in a way whilst also keeping an eye on him.

Sai chuckled darkly before using the trashcan as support before hoisting himself to his feet on shaky legs. "I never thought that I'll see you again, Shiki," he said. "It just has to be you of all people that found me like this." He coughed again. "I was in Hiraiko awhile back. I saw Anko-san's boyfriend – that Ibiki guy, along with a guy who looks like a corpse who looked as if he would kneel over in the wind, Gekkou Hayate, I think. Genma-san has woken up as well. Your doing, I suppose?"

"More or less," said Shiki with a shrug. She then eyed Sai from top to bottom, taking in his rather dishevelled appearance. "Are you running away again? Just like always?" Sai said nothing to that, and Shiki sighed. "Have you found your brother yet?"

Sai shook his head. "Not yet," he admitted. "I hadn't found any word or even evidence that proves that he's still alive, but I hadn't found any evidence that proved he's dead as well, so there is still a chance."

Shiki sighed. "Well, I had never really believed that he's dead as well," she stated. "Besides, for those in the underworld, there are hundreds of ways for us to fake our deaths." She closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. "'With a strong will, one can even overcome death'." Shiki muttered. "It's easier said than done, seriously." She sighed. "To us who were in Blade back then who have lived during the chaotic era of Hagako, life is like a game. You either win or you lose. If you win, you will be able to live again to see another day. But if you lose, in the chaotic era of Hagako back then and even now…you die. It's that simple." Shiki sighed. "It is the same everywhere even now."

"What did you come here for?" Sai questioned, and Shiki raised a brow. The pale faced teen snorted. "Oh, come on. I know you better than this, Shiki. You came here for a reason; otherwise, you wouldn't have sent those friends of yours to boycott me. What is it?"

Shiki sighed. "Information," she stated. "I've heard that you have something that we want."

Sai snorted before pulling at the collar of his coat and the shirt that he was wearing underneath before drawing out a long fine silver chain from around his neck. A small rectangular semi-transparent container hung from the end of it. Shiki narrowed her eyes slightly as she saw a black memory card within that container.

Sai pulled the chain over his head before pressing it into Shiki's hand. "Here you go," he said with a slight slur to his words. "That's what you wanted. I took that before I had left Ne as a form of vengeance towards Danzo. At least I do not have to commit murder and other atrocious deeds for them any longer when I've left them. It's code protected with the highest level of encrypting that not even I could crack it. But that hacker in your little group might just be able to do something about it. Perhaps…you could just end this. For all of us. Finish what I couldn't end."

Shiki nodded. "Thanks."

Sai waved his hand dismissively. "Don't bother," he said. "At least Danzo might stop hunting me down for that memory card now that I've given it to you. I just wanted to be left in peace."

He then stumbled past Shiki on his way out of the alleyway. Gaara made a move to stop him, but a shake of the head from Shiki stopped him, and both watched as the pale skinned teen stumbled down the streets of Wind City.

"Shiki, are you really just going to let him go just like this?" asked Gaara with a frown as the two stepped out of the alleyway.

"Yeah," said Shiki with a nod, clutching the chain in her right hand. "I don't have the right to stop him. Like us, Sai is merely trying to live his own life as well. I won't deny him that. Besides, we've gotten what we've came for." She then held up the chain that she was grasping in her right hand. "It's time for us to get to work."

Gaara nodded before the two turned to leave towards the direction of the harbours of Wind City, but a notice on the wall just past Shiki's shoulder stopped them both in their tracks. Gaara narrowed his eyes dangerously, and Shiki said nothing for several moments before she sighed.

"Dear me… The ANBU sure move fast," she commented.

Gaara said nothing but stared at the wanted posters that the ANBU have placed on the walls of that of the Ragnarok members, with a one billion reward for anyone who managed to capture them or kill them, and there is even a one million reward for any information on them.

"It starts from here…" Gaara muttered.

**XXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye Café  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

"Her past?" Umino Iruka asked with a frown as he cleaned a drinking glass with a damp cloth that he had in his hand, staring at Uchiha Itachi with an incredulous expression. "What brings that all of a sudden?"

"I want to know," said Itachi, focusing his gaze at the tabletop almost like it held something fascinating for him. "I want to know about Shiki's past, and why she is doing what she is doing now. Iruka-san, you know, right? Tell me."

Iruka sighed. "You wouldn't understand even if you knew—"

"Then make me understand!" Itachi cut Iruka off. "Why is Shiki doing what she is doing now? Iruka-san, tell me! Tell me about Shiki's past! You've known her ever since she was a child, didn't you? Then you must know something!"

Iruka stared at Itachi for a long time before sighing. "I don't really know all the details," he stated. "I only know a little of what Shiki had told me. And her godfather told me a little about her past as well."

"Her godfather?" Itachi echoed. This is the first that he had heard of Shiki having a godfather. He felt slightly hurt inside. Just what else did Shiki kept from him? Didn't she trust him?

"Yeah," said Iruka with a nod. "I'm an informant of sorts as well, and I am one of her godfather's informants. He dropped by from time to time, just wanting to know just how Shiki is doing. Don't get him wrong. Jiraiya-sama loves Shiki very much like a daughter, but he understood that Shiki likes her freedom as well, and she is more than capable of taking care of herself. He trusted that. That is why he is usually never around. But still, he still worries about her. That is why Jiraiya-sama dropped by from time to time just to check up on how she is. During one of those occasions, he told me a little about Shiki's past." Iruka sighed, glancing at Itachi. "I really shouldn't tell you this, but you have to understand why she did what she did. The life of a nin-user is never easy. Especially in this country. But unlike you and the rest of the ANBU, Shiki didn't take the easy way out." Itachi flinched. "I shall tell you…the past of the one that you now know as Twila."

**

* * *

**

_Graveyard  
__Natsuki, Japan_

The graveyard was always especially silent in the small town of Natsuki. As such, no one was around when a lone figure clad in a dark cloak and hood entered the graveyard of Natsuki, walking through the pathway through the graveyard, finally stopping before two gravestones standing side-by-side.

The hooded figure then removed the hood only to reveal the solemn visage of one Namikaze Shiki. The redhead read and reread the words inscribed on the stone of the two gravestones in front of her before she sighed. "…hey. Kaa-san. Tou-san. I'm here."

"Shiki."

Shiki turned around only to see Gaara and Haku coming towards her, and she sighed. "I won't get into any trouble if I'm just away for a few hours, you know?" she said, annoyed.

"With the ANBU putting up wanted posters of us everywhere, we can't be too careful," said Haku, and Shiki sighed. "Shino told us that you'll be here. Paying your respects to your parents?"

"Yeah," said Shiki with a nod. "Today marks the fourteenth year of their death anniversary. I thought that I should pay my respects. This town is my original hometown – my childhood home, but it has practically been ravaged by the war, and whatever few survivors there are could barely make ends meet to survive. It's almost like a ghost town."

Haku and Gaara said nothing to that.

A single flower from the tree overhead floated down just then onto Haku's shoulder, and the ice maiden blinked before picking the flower off of her shoulder. "Red sakura flowers…" She muttered in surprise, looking at the flower in the palm of her hand. "It's rare to see them. The pink ones are more common."

Shiki sighed. "There is a proper name for them," she said, and Gaara and Haku turned towards her with curiosity. Shiki smiled. "Hanashin. Death Flower. Or the Crimson Sakura. That's what we call them. It was raining crimson sakuras too on that day." Her face darkened. "On that day when Blade had perished. In the land of the Whirlpool, a small country to the western continent where my mother had came from; the crimson sakura is an omen of disaster. I have never really believed it, you know? But it looks like it had some truth in it after all."

Gaara and Haku stayed silent.

Among all of them, Shiki's past is the only one which is shrouded completely in mystery, as she had been alone all her life before she had met them. Even Neji and Hinata didn't know about her past prior to them meeting her, as even they have only met Shiki after Blade's unfortunate demise.

"You weren't this superstitious before," said Haku at last. "It isn't like you, Shiki."

Shiki sighed. "This day always manages to put me in a bad mood," she muttered, and Gaara and Haku exchanged glances.

It is true that it is always on this particular day and two days before this day that Shiki is always in a bad mood, and would basically kick just about anyone who manages to get on her bad side. Thus, everyone in Ragnarok would always tread on eggshells around her during these three days before she would be back to her usual self the next day. And it is also always on this day that Shiki would always disappear for an entire day, with no one knowing where she had gone, sans for perhaps Shino. Now Gaara and Haku understood why.

"Well, I guess talking about the past every once in awhile isn't so bad," said Shiki, glancing at Gaara and Haku. "Haku, you've once asked me about my past. I had never liked talking about it, as it is a part of my life that I never want to remember again. But…you have a right to know about my past."

**

* * *

**

_Cat's Eye Café  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

"Shiki's parents passed away when she wasn't that much older than four or so," said Iruka solemnly, and Itachi's eyes widened. "I don't know how they have died, but Jiraiya-sama told me that they were murdered, which isn't something that surprising during that chaotic time of war. After that, Shiki was bounced around from foster home to foster home; never really staying long in one home because of the mere fact alone that she's a nin-user. Jiraiya-sama didn't really tell me much about her life before Hagako, but I do know that for some time, he couldn't locate Shiki when he could usually trace which home that she was sent to before."

"Why didn't her godfather just take her with him?" asked Itachi with a frown. "Then Shiki wouldn't have to suffer so much as a child!"

"It wasn't his fault," said Iruka patiently. "Jiraiya-sama is a renowned spymaster and one of the best informants out there. Back then, he was busy tracking down all those who have instigated the start of the civil war, and he was slowly destroying their organisations from the inside in an attempt to end the war, with the most prominent one being the Rebellion Group that is still around even today. He wouldn't have been able to take care of a child and do all that at once. His job is a dangerous one, and he knew it. But after the last foster home sent Shiki back to the Child Welfare Services, some man took her in, and it was after that that even Jiraiya-sama couldn't find her, and he is the best at finding someone. She disappeared off his radar for nearly a year, and when she appeared again, she is a totally changed person."

"I don't know what had happened to her during that period of time. Only Jiraiya-sama does when he had managed to get out from Shiki everything that has happened, and he isn't telling. But it is after that that Jiraiya-sama decided that he would rather Shiki live by her own, as it will be probably be much safer for her, and he then took her to Hagako and purchased an apartment for her to live in, only dropping by from time to time to stock up on food, and to make sure that she is alright. He had also been teaching her to control her powers at that time, as Shiki's powers for a nin-user are especially strong, something that I'm sure that you knew as well."

Itachi nodded. "Where did she go during that one year of absence?" he asked, intrigued.

Iruka shrugged. "I've already told you: I don't know," he said patiently. "But Jiraiya-sama said that something about Orochimaru was involved. And if that damnable snake is involved, then it is probably something horrible."

Itachi narrowed his eyes.

**

* * *

**

_Graveyard  
__Natsuki, Japan_

"So he was the one who had taken you in?" Gaara asked with a frown. "Orochimaru?"

Shiki sighed and nodded. "At that time, I didn't know who he was, as I was still pretty small then," she said. "He took me to this underground place which seems to be some lab, and ran all kinds of 'doctor examinations' on me, claiming that it is 'all for my health'. And like the fool I was back then, I believed him. It was about two months after that when he injected me with all kinds of tranquilisers and anaesthetic, putting me in a half-awake half-asleep state most of the time before sticking me in a test-tube-like glass prison, running…tests and experiments on me."

Haku and Gaara's blood grew cold, and they stared at Shiki in horror. They have seen the results of Orochimaru's experiments in the past, and they knew what that sick freak had done to his victims, if Gaara and his siblings back then were of any exception.

"I was only half-conscious at that time, but I knew what is going on," said Shiki, gritting her teeth together. "I was young then, and I didn't fully understand what he is trying to do. But Jiraiya explained to me when I grew older. He told me that it's because my powers as a nin-user are special and unique, even for a nin-user, and my powers are extraordinarily powerful. That's why Orochimaru went after me…just like the rest of you."

Haku and Gaara exchanged looks.

Shiki sighed. "My memory is still in bits and pieces about the experimenting stage, as I was only semi-conscious at that time. But I remember enough… Enough to know just what he had tried doing to me, and had failed, thankfully."

'_Cold…so cold…'_

"_Increase the dosage by seventy-five percent."_

_Lights flashing. Alarms were going off._

"_Experiment number eighty-six had broken out!"_

"…_we've dreamt of creating the world's most powerful nin-user…and we've succeeded."_

"…_die."_

_There was a loud explosion._

**

* * *

**

_Cat's Eye Café  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

"And from what I've heard from Jiraiya-sama, Shiki managed to make her way to Hagako and stumbled upon him," said Iruka solemnly. "She was alone in Hagako most of the time after that as Jiraiya-sama had work. But she found friends. Friends of hers that would later prove to be loyal to her, and would even protect her till their dying breath. Friends that would later form the legendary street gang Blade."

**

* * *

**

_Graveyard  
__Natsuki, Japan_

"So…you kind of 'recruited' them like you did to us?" asked Haku with a frown.

Shiki sighed. "No, I didn't," she said. "Those guys chose to follow me like a duckling after its mother. No matter what I did, I can't seem to shake them off. And after awhile, I just gave up. And even without realising it. Blade was formed even before I realised what is going on."

"So…was it because of you that Blade had that fearsome reputation?" asked Gaara carefully.

Shiki sighed. "Well, technically yes," she said. "You see, at that time, Hagako was split into different factions because of the aftermath of the war. The leader of one of those factions whose main territories are the western sides of Hagako is a man by the name of Hanzo."

"Hanzo?" Haku muttered. "I seem to have heard of that name somewhere…"

"You would have if you had travelled with Zabuza for a time," said Shiki. "That man gave the Mist some problems in the past, and they chased him all the way to Hagako. Blade, along with some of the other street gangs, teamed up with the Mist to fight Hanzo. But at that time, none of those street gangs were influential enough to go up against Hanzo and his Ame sans for Blade and the Mist. Hanzo was also the reason why Hagako is in the state that it was in back then. We got tired of all those fights. Back then, people died every day, and the graveyard of Hagako was nearly full as a result. Not one day went by _without _someone dying. Yes, I know that it was the aftermath of the war – the civil war back then, but still… I got tired of that violence. All of Blade were. We wanted to do something about it. It wasn't that long after that when Blade started to make a name for ourselves, and it was also then that we've caught Hanzo's attention. At that time, we didn't realise that Hanzo was sort of a double-faced agent. He worked for both Orochimaru and Danzo, running both sides. It was a dangerous game that he was playing, but one that could benefit him. Both Orochimaru and Danzo were enemies in a way, and even though I didn't realise it at that time, they were after me. You can just imagine what had happened next."

Gaara and Haku were both silent for a long time after that. "Your parents…" said Haku at last. "You said that they were murdered as well. By whom?"

Shiki tensed up slightly. "You don't have to know," she said at last. "It's my burden. Not yours."

She closed her eyes briefly.

_I curse you. Even if I'm dead, I'll still curse you!_

Shiki opened her eyes again, taking one step closer to her parents' graves before kneeling down before the gravestones, sweeping some stray leaves off of the two headstones. _'I will avenge you soon enough, Kaa-san, Tou-san.' _Shiki thought. _'I've waited for fourteen years. It is about time. I'll collect the blood debt that those two cursed fools owe me in full. And it isn't just me. The others too. Their parents…' _Shiki sighed. _'And those two cursed fools will soon be __**dead **__fools.' _

"Shiki, are you alright?" asked Gaara with concern.

"Yeah," said Shiki, closing her eyes briefly before opening them again. "Jiraiya told me something once a long time ago after Blade was formed. He is a pervert, but a wise one."

Haku snorted. "Yeah. The 'Super Pervert'," she deadpanned, and Gaara snickered.

Shiki smiled. "He said something to me once. 'We don't know what kind of people we _truly _are until the moment before our deaths. As death comes to embrace you, you will then realise what you are'." Shiki sighed. "That's what death _is, _don't you think? I've seen so many deaths for the past several years, and I kind of understand this logic now. And it is just as Ero-kyoufu had said. War brings nothing but loss and pain and death to both sides, sometimes more than necessary. And once the time comes, then will we know what death truly is all about."

Shiki then stood up and turned around to meet Gaara and Haku's concerned looks. "Let's go," she said before turning and leaving the graveyard.

_I'll collect that blood debt that you owed me in full soon. Blood can only be washed away by blood! I'll make you scream as I make your last moments as painful as possible. The __**same **__way that you make __**me **__feel back then! Senju Tsunade. Sarutobi Hizuren._

_

* * *

_

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_The graveyards that I usually see are usually full of the graves of children. Children that I couldn't save. That I was unable to save."_

"_You left them there to die."_

"_Disappear…Uchiha Itachi."_


	26. Last Decision

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Six: Last Decision**

_Hospital  
__Leaf City, Japan_

The red lights above the operating room swung opened, and Kisame immediately strode towards the doctor, with the rest of his teammates staying where they were on their seats in the waiting hallway, all with some sort of visible injury on their bodies.

"Doctor, how is he?" asked Kisame breathlessly.

"Well, the surgery is a success, but we need a blood transfusion for him urgently, and that is the problem here," said the doctor hesitantly, and this caught the attention of the rest of the Akatsuki.

"What is the problem?" asked Konan with a frown. "Can't you just give him some blood from the blood bank?"

"It's not that simple," said the doctor with a sigh. "His blood type is the Bombay blood."

Konan's eyes widened in horror whilst looks of confusion covered the faces of the rest of team Akatsuki. "Bombay blood?" Deidara echoed in confusion. "What is that?"

"It's the world's rarest blood type, Deidara," said Konan seriously, her face pale. "Only one in a thousand people would have that blood type. It's so rare that the blood is also extremely valuable. People would kill just to get their hands on a packet of that blood. As such, most hospitals and clinics wouldn't have Bombay blood in their blood banks."

Identical looks of horror covered the faces of the rest of team Akatsuki just then.

The last mission that they were on had ended in complete disaster, and for once, it had nothing to do with Ragnarok, but more to do with Ne, their arch nemesis, and also Ragnarok's, it seems like. And ANBU definitely didn't make any friends especially with everything that they've been doing lately. Even the Akatsuki are starting to question the orders given to them by their commander.

"But Itachi will die if he is not given a blood transfusion, right?" Sasori asked, looking from one to the other, chewing on his bottom lip nervously. "What about Sasuke? Or that lawyer cousin of theirs? Do they have the same blood type as Itachi?"

"No, they don't," said Kisame, shaking his head as he turned around to face his teammates. "As Itachi's vice-captain, I assessed all the profiles of the new ANBU recruits that came in after Akatsuki's formation. And naturally, I've seen Sasuke's as well when he had first graduated from the ANBU Academy alongside all his peers years back. He doesn't share the same blood group as Itachi. And from what I've heard from Itachi during a conversation that we once had, his cousin doesn't share the same blood group he does as well."

"Then it's going to be problematic," said the doctor worriedly. "I'll make some calls around all the other hospitals and clinics if they have any Bombay blood in reserve. But please be prepared for the worst if we can't find any."

Kisame nodded. "Thank you, doctor."

The doctor bowed to them before turning to head towards his office, ready to make several calls to find some Bombay blood in reserve for Itachi. Konan bit on her bottom lip nervously. "I'll make some calls around the few connections that I've made as well," she said. "Even if there is just the slightest chance…" She sighed. "Why must Itachi have one of the rarest, if not the rarest blood type out there? I'll be surprised if we can even find another person in Japan who has the same blood type as Itachi!"

**

* * *

**

_Cat's Eye Café  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

"You can't be serious…" Namikaze Shiki muttered in dismay, being seated across Nishimura Rin. "Bombay Blood, huh? The world's rarest blood type ever. I didn't even know that Itachi's blood type is Bombay Blood."

"Yeah," said Rin with a sigh, stirring the cup of coffee sitting in front of her. It was currently nighttime, and no one else was present in Cat's Eye apart from them two. "I've finally managed to acquire a donor for Genma about two months back, and right after Shizune and Hayate-kun have taken him home after I've given him the green light, a call from a doctor at the hospital at Leaf City came for me, asking if I have any Bombay Blood packs in storage in my clinic. I told him that I didn't have any, and he immediately hung up. Seems to be in an awful hurry, and that means that this case must be serious. But I seriously doubt that that doctor will be able to find any Bombay Blood packs in storage anywhere, even in the black market."

Shiki almost snorted. "The ANBU would never turn to the black market," she said. "They're too proud for that. Even if it were to save a comrade's life, they wouldn't turn to the black market. The Akatsuki might do it behind Tsunade's back, but I don't think that even the black market has that blood." She then sighed. "Only one in a thousand people have that rare blood type. Seriously, I'm surprised that Itachi's blood type is Bombay Blood. He's never mentioned it before."

Rin sighed. "It's probably for the best that you didn't know," she said simply. "Those who carries the Bombay Blood in their veins will always be the targets of blood peddlers. Surely even you knew that?" Shiki was silent at that. "What are you going to do, Shiki? Your blood type is the Bombay Blood as well, isn't it? That's part of the reason why Orochimaru had targeted you back then when you were a child!"

Shiki was silent.

**

* * *

**

_Hospital  
__Leaf City, Japan_

"You don't have any?" The doctor was shouting down the phone at whichever unfortunate soul had the misfortune to end up answering his call. "Then find some! I don't care how you do it! We've got a dying man here—"

There was a knock on the door just then, and a nervous looking nurse poked her head in. "Doctor? We've got a girl here who insisted on seeing you. It's regarding the patient in Room 605."

The doctor raised both his brows. "Send her in."

A redhead girl who doesn't seem to be older than seventeen or so stepped in silently, a contemplative look on her face. The doctor raised a brow. "May I help you?" he asked politely.

"I'm here as a blood donor for one Uchiha Itachi." Namikaze Shiki answered.

**

* * *

**

_ICU Ward 605  
__Hospital, Leaf City_

"Man, you're sure lucky!" Sasori grunted a week later as all of Akatsuki were gathered in Itachi's hospital room. "You had the devil's luck or something?"

It was a week after the blood transfusion had been done, when some mysterious donor had simply walked into the doctor's office and had offered to donate some of her blood to Itachi. The donor didn't give her name or anything, and simply left the hospital silently after the transfusion was done.

"You're really lucky." Konan agreed with Sasori as Kisame was helping Itachi to pack his bags as the doctor had given Itachi the all clear, and had allowed him to be discharged, only with strict doctor's orders to keep his activities light with no strenuous activities of any kind. "I didn't expect for another person with Bombay Blood to be in this country. You can usually only find one person with that blood type in this country. I wonder who that mysterious donor is…"

"I want to know the same thing too." Itachi commented, though he had a faint idea who it is. He remembered something that Iruka of Cat's Eye had once said, and about Shiki after he had figured out her true identity.

"Itachi? Let's go."

"Yeah."

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

"You're really back late." Hyuuga Neji commented as Shiki stepped in through the doors of the boathouse, closing it behind her. The Hyuuga was currently seated on one of the couches in the boathouse reading a book of some sort, and the boathouse was awfully silent. "The others are not here." He answered the unasked question. "Shino's gone over to the next town to have his laptop repaired, and the others followed as well. Gaara, Temari and Yugito said something about going after a bounty. Tenten, Hinata and Haku have gone to stock up on the medicine supplies, along with food for the boathouse. They said that they'll be back by nightfall, and that they'll all be gone the whole day."

"I see."

Silence fell between them both for several moments before Neji closed his book with a light clap, looking at nothing in particular. "Rin-san called about an hour ago," he said curtly, glancing at Shiki. "She told me about that ANBU captain. You went to the hospital to save his life, didn't you?"

Shiki closed her eyes as she covered her arm with one hand, never mind the jacket that she is currently wearing, despite knowing the fact that Neji can't see the bandage covering the wound made when the nurse was taking some of her blood for the transfusion.

"…yeah."

"How much longer are you going to punish yourself like this?" Neji almost demanded, his pearly white eyes flashing with anger at Shiki. "What else is that guy good for aside from hurting you again and again? You know that none of us approved of him because of the mere fact alone that he kept on hurting you again and again, putting aside the fact that he's the captain of one of the two ANBU teams currently after us! Stop torturing yourself like this! I can't stand watching you like this!"

"I know what I've told you, Gaara and Haku," said Shiki, closing her eyes briefly before opening them again. "But it's easier said than done. Forgetting him is easier said than done. I know what he represents to us. I know what he had done…to me…to us…to everyone… But…"

Whatever that Shiki wanted to say was cut off as a pair of lips was clamped down onto her lips just then, and her back was sent crashing against the nearest wall as a much heavier body was forced onto hers.

"…Neji? What are you doing?" Shiki tried to push Neji off of her, but to no avail, as she _is _still a girl after all, and Neji is pretty well built for a male, and is also pretty strong.

"It's always him that you're seeing." Neji muttered, his bangs covering his eyes as his head was bowed down, with both his hands gripping onto Shiki's shoulders, but not enough to hurt her. "There's only him in your heart. Then what am I to you?"

Shiki was silent at that. She isn't an idiot, and she is well aware of Neji's feelings for her. She just never did or said anything about it, as she didn't want to hurt him.

"You're just a friend to me, Neji. Nothing more and nothing less." Shiki replied.

Her words were cut off as Neji kissed her forcefully again, with one of his knees being driven in between her legs, with his body being pressed down hard against hers, as his forceful kisses trailed down to her neck.

"N-Neji…! S-Stop—" Shiki tried to push Neji off of her, but to no avail. She then felt his hands roaming over her body before he pushed the hem of her shirt slightly upwards, allowing cool air to hit her bare skin as he slipped his hands beneath her shirt. "Stop!"

Shiki wiggled about in an attempt to get loose, and finally managed to get her right leg free. She then rammed her right knee upwards in between Neji's legs in a cheap shot that Jiraiya had taught her once for self-defense as a child, and Neji almost doubled over in pain. She then took advantage of his state before pushing him away from her as hard as she could, resulting in Neji falling backwards onto the couch, as Shiki rubbed at her lips with one hand, the other hand holding her jacket closed, an angered look on her face.

"Touch me again and I'll kill you!" Shiki hissed in pure fury. "Set your priorities straight, Neji! If all you're looking for is a bed partner, then go to the red light district of Leaf City or something!"

"I-I didn't mean to—"

"Enough!" Shiki snapped. "I don't trust myself to be alone in the same room that you are now. I'm going out."

The door then slammed shut behind her.

**XXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye Café  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

The low drones of a motorcycle soon drummed and faded away slowly as Uchiha Itachi stopped his bike outside the Cat's Eye café and stared into the shop. He saw the forms of the waiter and waitress along with Iruka, but he didn't see the person that he wanted to see the most.

The sounds of light footsteps reached his ears just then, and Itachi turned around only to see Shiki approaching him, a nonchalant look on her face as she reached him, her hands stuffed into her pockets as she did so. Both said nothing for several moments before Shiki sighed and got onto the motorbike behind Itachi, startling him.

"I need you to come with me for a moment," she answered the unasked question. "There's something that you need to see, and that I need to show you."

**XXXXXX**

_Nagako  
__Japan_

"Well, I guess that we're done here," said Yugito with a sigh as she walked out of the police station with Temari and Gaara, having just collected their bounties. It had been a little difficult for them to do bounty collections of late because of the fact that all their faces were on wanted posters as Ragnarok members. Fortunately though, all of Ragnarok are masters of disguises. "Hmm?" Yugito looked over at Temari only to see a thoughtful look on her face. "What are you thinking so hard about, Temari?"

Temari gave a start as she looked up, and managed a wan smile. "Nothing much," she answered. "Just…thinking about some stuff." She then frowned and stopped in her tracks, turning towards the other two. "Hey. Yugito. Gaara. What do the both of you think about everything that had been happening of late?"

Yugito and Gaara exchanged looks over Temari's head. So even Temari had been bothered by it as well. _Everyone_ was bothered by it, and they knew that Shiki is concerned about it as well. That is the reason why the redhead had been going out so often lately. And fortunately, they do not have any requests so far, and thus, they are able to keep a low profile, especially since the ANBU had been after them.

"It is true that things hadn't been adding up recently, and now that I think about it, weird things have been happening ever since Ragnarok's formation," said Gaara with a frown before ticking points off on his fingers. "All of us were orphaned. We were all nin-users of high-level status – bordering on S-rank level. All our parents were involved in the last war in some way. And all of them were murdered, with the murderers unknown. And Shiki seems awfully pissed with the ANBU ever since the Sasame incident."

Temari chuckled. "Yeah, you've got that right. She was so mad for a few days after her death that all of us were literally treading on eggshells around her."

"And not to mention the fact that Shiki seems to know of the two leaders of the ANBU." Yugito added with a frown. "Our parents were all involved in the war. All our lives were shit before we have met Shiki. And all of us have met with some horrible incident before we've met Shiki, resulting in us following her, even Shiki herself. Something's wrong."

"Well, I believe that Shiki knew what she's doing. She's probably doing something about this," said Gaara thoughtfully, and both girls nodded. "If we have already came to this conclusion, then she probably had as well. Besides, I trust Shiki more than anyone else in the world. If I have to give my life for her, I'll gladly do it. Because for me…for all of us…she is the first person who had ever extended a helping hand to us. The same way that my brother did."

Yugito sighed. "Of course, I trust her as well," she said. "All of us did. Otherwise, we wouldn't have stayed with her for so many years. But with everything that has been happening of late…" She sighed. "Let's hope that nothing goes wrong. We can't lose Shiki."

**XXXXXX**

_Graveyard  
__Hagako, Japan_

Gravel was crunched lightly beneath feet as Itachi and Shiki stepped into the cold and dark graveyard of the city of Hagako. The sun was slowly setting, painting a beautiful picture of oranges and reds onto the city. Finally, Shiki stopped before a neat row of unmarked graves.

"This is…"

"The graveyard in Hagako, the City of the Living Dead," said Shiki with a sigh, turning towards Itachi. "Iruka-san told me that he told you of what he knew about my past." Itachi nodded. "And you should know why I'm doing this as well. That's why I've taken you here." She then stepped up to one of the unmarked graves and knelt down by it, brushing the dried leaves off of it. The redhead then reached into her pocket and drew out a small toy airplane, placing it before the unmarked grave and saying a silent prayer beneath her breath. Shiki then stood up.

"To who does this grave belongs to?" asked Itachi, stepping up to Shiki.

"A boy. A child," said Shiki with a sigh, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "He's only six years old when he'd died. He is…was one of Blade's die hard fans." She glanced at Itachi. "My old gang. Like many of the residents who'd lived in the eastern parts of Hagako back then, especially those who resided in District 30, also otherwise known as Dead Men's Street, he looked up to us and practically worshipped us. If you ever saw Sumaru and the other two, they would tell you the same thing. You never wondered why all those from Hagako hates the ANBU so much?"

"I had wondered for some time now." Itachi muttered. "As a rule, the ANBU tends to avoid Hagako like the plague. And if we absolutely have to enter Hagako for a mission, we would usually send a squad of four. It is for safety reasons, as it would at least help to increase our chances of leaving Hagako alive."

"Hagako never used to be like this," said Shiki, still staring at the unmarked grave that she'd come to visit, with her hands stuffed into her pockets. "It changed during the war and soon became known as one of the most dangerous cities in Japan, where it is a fight for survival in this lawless place, where only the strong survives, and the weak are food for the strong. Hagako ended up in this state it now is because of the ANBU."

She turned towards Itachi. "I don't really understand all the details, but apparently, several years ago during the war, the fights that the ANBU had with the enemy was brought to Hagako, and an ANBU killed a child by mistake. That's what sparked off Hagako's hatred for the ANBU, and also part of the reason why the war went from bad to worse. Most of the gang members from Hagako carries much influence in the underworld, and word soon spread about that incident which is the reason why Hagako and the country is in the state it now is, and why the ANBU had never really been popular in Hagako, along with several of the other towns and cities that have underworld dealings."

"I never knew that." Itachi muttered.

Shiki shook her head. "You wouldn't," she said, turning to face him. "Many of the dark deeds that the ANBU had done during the war were kept under wraps, and only those who served in the undercover division or the elite forces of the ANBU knew that. This boy here…" She turned back towards the grave. "He totally worshipped and adored us. It is probably because Blade is one of the few street gangs in Hagako that actually protected the place and the people who live there. Not many street gangs did that. Most only hanker for more power and authority. Blade never does that. I made sure of that, and I would also have never allowed that to happen under my watch. If any of those under my command committed that crime, I would have killed them on the spot. And because of our strength and reputation, Blade became known as the legendary street gang, and also the most powerful gang in Hagako and the underworld. We kept the peace there. And it's probably because when Blade was nearly eliminated years ago, the order in Hagako dropped as a result because of our disappearance."

"Deidara and Sasori were both saying something about that about a year ago when we were investigating Hagako," said Itachi with a nod. "Blade's name came up during several of our investigations about Hagako."

"When you say Hagako, Blade's name will always come up," said Shiki with a sigh. "We gave the ANBU some problems during the war. We kept the ANBU away from Hagako because even we do not trust them. We have enough problems as it is with the war and Hanzo at that time. We do not need more problems, and we most definitely do not need the ANBU dominating over us. Even you knew what the ANBU are like, especially during the chaotic period of the war. They will use you, and then discard you once they no longer have any use for you. That's what had happened with Shino's brother."

Itachi was silent, as he knew that Shiki speaks the truth. That was why he initially had so many reservations about accepting the ANBU's invitation back then. But he didn't have any choice but to join them in the end, because it was the only way to survive during the chaotic period of the aftermath of the war.

"I never did like graveyards, even back during my time with Blade," said Shiki, turning back towards the grave. "The graveyards that I usually see, even now during my time with Ragnarok, are usually full of the graves of children. Children that I couldn't save. That I was _unable _to save." She sighed. "Children still with their whole lives ahead of them, dying at such a young age. Seto is one of those unfortunate few." She glanced at Itachi. "This boy lying here."

Itachi nodded slowly.

"Like so many of the war orphans back then, he never knew his parents." Shiki sighed. "Better to not remember them at all, than to remember one who had abandoned him, I guess. I met Seto when he was about four or so – a street rat, something not that uncommon in those days, I'm afraid. I then started helping him out, as Blade was already formed then. And thus, that began his hero-worship of me. He started following me everywhere like a duckling after its mother. But then, more than eight years ago, the night that marked the end of Blade's demise."

Shiki fell silent as her eyes clouded over, recalling that disastrous night so many years back when she couldn't even protect and save the very people whom she wanted to protect and save.

…_Run!_

_I won't!_

_Seto, stop being an idiot and run!_

_Kaaarrrggghhh!_

_Sara!_

_You bastards!_

_Jun! No! Stop—_

_Urgh!_

_Jun!_

_Shiki-nee!_

_SETO!_

A tear fell from Shiki's eye as she remembered the events of that night.

"They merely wanted to help us. Seto and his friends," said Shiki softly. "They only wanted to help us. To help protect us the same way that we've helped protect them. That's all that they wanted to do. I knew that there is no chance of them ever succeeding. I tried to make them run away. But they didn't listen. Of all the times when they refused to listen to me, it just has to be at a time like that. Seto. His friends. And my old gang. Sumaru and the other two have the devil's luck, and they managed to escape with their lives intact. But the others weren't so lucky. They refused to listen to me, and they died the lives of fools. They're only kids. Foolish kids that should be talking and laughing about stupid things that only kids their age talk about. But they never got to do all that. Seto and his friends. And it is also in this very place, the graveyard of Hagako, where I've first met Neji and Hinata."

"I was building the graves of all those that have died that night when those two came up to me. At first glance, I knew that they're nin-users. No matter what I said to them or even do, they simply refused to leave me alone, just like Riku, Sara, Seto and all the others. And before I knew it, the others soon started following me around after I've helped them, and they simply refused to leave me alone. And thus began the formation of Ragnarok." Shiki turned towards Itachi. "Trust me, I didn't ask them to follow me. They did it on their own accord. Probably, because for them, I was the first one that had ever extended a helping hand to them. And this just proves my point: the ANBU are nothing but just useless wastes of air when it comes to helping the nin-users of this country. If you useless wastes of air really wanted to, you could have made life better for the nin-users with your influence and power. But you didn't. You left them there to die."

Itachi took those verbal blows silently. He knew that it is what he had deserved.

"Give me another chance, Shiki."

"I did," said Shiki, turning towards Itachi. "I've already given you _way_ _too many chances." _She took one step towards him. "The incident with the TV station is the last one. I'm tired, Itachi. And I've already told you: as long as you are in the ANBU, it is impossible for us to be together."

"I know," said Itachi. "Kisame told me a few things about his sister, and what she'd said to him during their encounters with each other. And that Neji guy and Haku-san have both told me the same thing months ago. I am also aware that I'm going to have to make a choice soon enough. And I realize that it's selfish of me to expect you to give up everything for my sake. I… Just wait for me, Shiki. For you, I can give up anything. Even my career. I'll even leave the ANBU for you. That's why…give me some time. Give me four months. I'll settle everything within four months, and I'll then leave the ANBU. For you."

Shiki sighed. "Itachi, I—"

A low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, and both Shiki and Itachi then looked up at the skies only to see that dark clouds are slowly converging in the skies. The redhead then turned towards Itachi. "I still had the key to my old apartment," she said. "My godfather always stays in that apartment whenever he dropped by Hagako. Let's go there. Seems like there's going to be a heavy downpour soon."

Itachi nodded.

**

* * *

**

_Apartment Complex  
__Hagako, Japan_

Both Itachi and Shiki reached the apartment just as rain came pouring down from the skies. The apartment is a small one-room apartment, and it is unexpectedly clean, especially considering the fact that Shiki hadn't been back to Hagako for_ months._

"Someone always comes by to clean every three months." Shiki answered the unasked question. "So that the apartment will at least be habitable by my godfather if he ever drops by."

"I see," said Itachi before dropping down onto the couch. The apartment basically had nothing at all save for a couch, a small coffee table, a bed, a desk and chair as well as a refrigerator.

"Itachi," said Shiki, and Itachi turned only to barely catch a beer can that was thrown to him. The redhead opened the can in her hand with a light pop before dropping down on the couch beside him, even as a low rumble of thunder rumbled in the distance. "What is your dream?"

"Dream?"

Shiki nodded. "You can't truly live without having dreams, can you?"

"Then what is your dream, Shiki?" asked Itachi.

Shiki smiled slightly at him. "Who knows?" she said mysteriously, taking a gulp from her drink. "There was once upon a time when I'd believed that the one who fights and emerges as the victor is the strongest. That is especially true during my time in Hagako as part of Blade. That…was what I'd believed in at that time. Then, I killed a man when I was about six or so, and everyone was afraid of me as a result. As up until then, the youngest that had ever taken a life is twelve. Thus, I ended up developing a fearsome reputation."

"Hagako…" Itachi muttered, and Shiki nodded. His eyes are slowly opening to the world that Shiki had grown up in, and had seen throughout all her life. Itachi is starting to understand just what Iruka had meant by saying that if he delves any deeper into Shiki's life, he would soon start seeing things differently, and his view on the world would also change drastically. Knowing Shiki's world would twist his fate and his world.

"That's right," said Shiki with a nod. "But…" She stood up and walked towards the window, looking out of it. "Times are changing. The current situation at hand had already proven that." She turned towards Itachi. "The age of the nin-users is slowly coming to an end."

"Coming to an end?" Itachi echoed.

Shiki nodded. "That's what I'd been seeing for the past four years," she said, walking back towards the couch and sitting beside Itachi. "The Rebellion Group. Ne. And Orochimaru. Do I still need to say any more?" Shiki sighed. "All of them fought for the same thing. Be it the elimination of nin-users or the usage of them… All of them wanted the same thing: to have the nin-users under their control or destroyed."

Shiki smiled grimly. "If you can't control them, destroy them. What a convenient way to settle things, huh?" Itachi said nothing to that. "And don't try and tell me otherwise. The Rebellion Group had been around ever since the war. Why hasn't the ANBU done anything then if they truly wanted to help the nin-users? The nin-users are an unwanted relic in this world. That is part of the reason why I'd formed Ragnarok. To at least give those who are different a chance at surviving in this harsh world. But times are changing, Itachi. Pretty soon, even I won't be able to do anything about the changes. But I believe that as long as your fighting spirit doesn't change, you still have a chance. A new world where nin-users will be accepted. That's our dream."

"An idealistic dream…" Itachi muttered. "One that might never bear fruit."

"Maybe it's just as you've said." Shiki agreed, much to Itachi's surprise. "Maybe this is just a fool's errand." She glanced at him, her cheeks having a slight flush to them because of the consummation of alcohol. "But better to be a fool than to live your life knowing nothing at all."

Itachi was silent for several moments. He then chuckled. "Iruka-san was right. You are right. Even Haku-san and that Neji guy… Seems like I really had been living a pretty sheltered life if I couldn't even see all that happening, and could only see that when you've laid all the cards out in front of me." Itachi sighed, running the fingers of his right hand through his hair. "I'm really such an idiot."

"You've got that right," said Shiki with a nod, sighing. "I must be crazy to even fall for a guy like you when you are such an idiot. An idiot you might be, but…" Itachi was taken aback when Shiki's hand was placed on his cheek, and his head was turned towards Shiki's direction before a pair of warm lips was pressed against his, before pulling away again. "…but you're _my_ idiot."

The redhead was taken back by surprise the next moment when she was suddenly laid flat on her back on the couch, with Itachi above her, straddling her, with a pair of warm lips pressing against hers, kissing her tenderly, one hand tangled in her hair, the other by the side of her waist.

"Itachi…" Shiki murmured against his lips, and Itachi growled something before increasing his kisses, his kisses growing more passionate and forceful.

"Fuck them all…" Itachi growled, drawing back from Shiki for a few moments. "What is forbidden? What is against the law? Fuck them all. This is _my _life, and _my _choice. I don't give a flying fuck what they want. I've been waiting for this for months. I want this."

He then smashed his lips against Shiki's once more, kissing her passionately, licking at her bottom lip with his tongue, demanding entrance. Shiki moaned unwittingly, and Itachi took that chance to slip his tongue into her delicious mouth, savouring her taste, and exploring the cavern of her mouth with his tongue. Both their tongues then entangled together into a dance as they savoured each other's tastes.

"Itachi…" Shiki murmured against his lips as she snaked her arms up around his body, and around his neck, pulling her upwards slightly, pressing her body closer to him. She could even feel all the muscles that he had attained with all that ANBU training that he had gone through, even through the barrier that their clothes provided. She fisted one hand into his hair, undoing his hair from his usual ponytail.

Shiki soon felt Itachi's hands trailing down her body, and gasped slightly as Itachi wedged a knee in between her legs, pushing them slightly apart from each other, as he pulled her closer to his body, bringing both their hips into close intimate contact with each other, as he began planting frantic kisses down her neck.

Shiki soon began to feel extremely lightheaded from Itachi's kisses, like how she had been the night when they first had sex with each other. And like back then, she didn't stop Itachi. She knew what Gaara and the others have said. But she can't bring herself to stop this. Her mind is saying one thing, but her body is reacting completely differently.

She wants this too. She wants Itachi.

Shiki soon began to feel Itachi's hands roaming all over her body, exploring every inch of it tenderly. "Itachi…" She gasped as she felt his hands roaming from her hips to her chest, as his hands found her breasts and began to fondle them before caressing them slowly, and then slowly kneading them.

She is slowly starting to get aroused by his touches.

"This…isn't right…" Shiki murmured, feeling extremely lightheaded, and almost felt like she is floating. Without even realizing it, she moved her body slowly in rhythm together with Itachi's. "This isn't…"

"Then what is?" Itachi murmured against her throat, sucking on the tender skin there, and Shiki gave a gasp as Itachi bit softly on her skin, leaving a red mark there. "I know that you want this. You want this as much as I do."

"Why…? Why is it always with you that I…?"

"Just don't think about this for now…"

Shiki moaned slightly as she felt Itachi bringing his knee up higher, pushing against the area in between her legs, arousing her more. His hands then snaked down her sides and to her sides where her blouse had fallen apart slightly, exposing a little of her abdomen. Shiki gasped when she felt Itachi's hands roaming around her waist area before snaking beneath her shirt, sliding up her body slowly. Shiki moaned when Itachi began to massage and fondle her breasts through the fabric of her bra, touching, and yet not touching her.

"I-Itachi…"

Shiki moaned before she gasped as she felt Itachi's cool fingers slipped in between her bra, and in the area between her breasts, wiggling his fingers about. Itachi grunted before slipping his fingers out. And before Shiki could moan in protest, he slipped one hand gently into the fabric of her bra, cool fingers pressing against her breast as he fondled her breast, with his thumb rubbing circles around her nipple.

He then slipped his other hand out from beneath her blouse, and snaking it upwards her body before releasing the top button of her blouse, showing a decent amount of cleavage. The second button came off too, revealing the white lace fabric of her bra. Itachi grunted before he moved down Shiki's body, flicking his tongue out and licking the skin of her breast, both hands slipping beneath her bra and fondling and tweaking her breasts.

"Itachi…"

Itachi grunted in response, and as one knee slipped partially off the couch, he then realized what they were lying on, and glanced over to the sole bed in the apartment before lifting Shiki into his arms and bringing her over to the bed where he pinned her down, with his hands pinning both her wrists down, with his knees pinning her thighs down.

"Itachi…"

"I won't let you get away from me ever again." Itachi grunted as he began to suck on the tender skin of her throat. "You're mine. You're my woman. I won't let anyone else have you, or even to touch you. I'm just claiming what is rightfully mine right now."

"Possessive little bastard, aren't you?" Shiki muttered, before she gasped as she wiggled slightly beneath his hands as they kneaded her breasts through the fabric of her bra.

**{Lemon scene starts here. Don't read if you don't want to! I will not be held responsible for any scarring left behind!}**

Itachi smirked before pulling Shiki's jacket down from her shoulders and pulling it off her body. He soon felt a pair of hands trailing up his body and towards the hem of his shirt, pushing it up as far as it could go. Getting the hint that she wanted his shirt off, Itachi paused in his current activity, and pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it onto the ground.

Itachi trailed his hands down Shiki's body once more, towards the hem of her blouse and snaking his hands beneath her blouse, and under her bra before squeezing her breasts gently. He was rewarded with a moan, and Shiki moved her body slowly in accordance to his.

Itachi undid the rest of the buttons of Shiki's blouse before pulling it off her body, and discarding it to the ground. He then fumbled with the belt and buckle of his jeans before slipping it off of his body and to the ground, before being followed by his boxers and underwear.

Shiki blushed slightly when she saw how big he was, though it isn't like she hadn't seen it before. Itachi then reached down towards Shiki's jeans, and began to undo the buckle, slipping the clothing article off of her body, before being followed by her panties. Itachi then bent down towards her neck and began to suck on it, feeling her breasts pressing against his bare chest as he did so.

Shiki groaned as she felt Itachi driving one knee in between the area between her legs before he moved slowly down her body, and bit on one of her bra straps with his teeth, tugging at it slightly, trying to get the item off. Itachi then slipped one hand beneath her body and unclasped her bra, throwing it to the floor, baring her in her full glory.

They were both now completely naked, kissing each other heatedly as they roamed their hands over each other's bodies eagerly. Itachi moved slowly down Shiki's body before reaching her breasts and licked her left nipple with the tip of his tongue before taking it into his mouth, slowly sucking and nipping on it gently, whilst one of his other hands was fondling and caressing her other breast roughly.

Shiki moaned from feeling Itachi's touches and actions to her body, before he moved slowly down her body, kissing and licking gently as he did so before reaching her inner thighs and kissing and caressing them gently.

"Itachi!" Shiki cried out, and Itachi smirked before he moved up her body, letting his fingers trail across her breasts teasingly, and smashed his lips against hers, kissing her passionately. Shiki moaned into Itachi's mouth as he kissed her, his tongue exploring every inch of her mouth as he fondled her vagina with his fingers, causing her to wiggle about beneath him. She then gasped as he inserted one finger into her entrance. "I-Itachi…"

Itachi smirked against her lips as he slowly started to push into her. The moan that he heard from Shiki pleased him, and he pulled out of her before pushing in again, yet not going fully into her. He continued at this pace for several moments before Shiki's hands trailed to his upper back.

"Itachi…" Shiki almost begged. "Please…"

"What?" He smirked against her lips as he continued pushing in and out of her, teasing her.

"Get…in me."

Itachi chuckled. "Aren't you impatient today?" he teased.

Feeling Shiki pushing her hips into him, he obliged to her request and kissed her passionately before drawing back. Without any warning, Itachi then thrust himself hard into her, with Shiki letting out a scream of pain as he did so, her hands clenching into fists on the bed sheets, as Itachi pinned both her wrists down onto the bed. He then pulled out of her only to thrust back into Shiki again, with the redhead wiggling about beneath him from the pain that came whenever they made love to each other.

Eventually, the pain that Shiki was feeling lessened to a dull ache, and she was soon completely aware of being completely filled as he went inside her. She moaned as Itachi thrust into her once more, relieving in the sensation wrought.

"Itachi…!" Shiki gritted her teeth from the intrusion as Itachi started to quicken his pace, with the Uchiha smirking as he felt the cool liquid coming from her. He then released his hold on Shiki's wrists and began to fondle and caress her breasts and nipples slowly and gently, causing her to moan in pleasure.

Itachi pulled out of Shiki again before slamming back into her harshly, causing her to give out a startled scream of pleasure. He then started to quicken his pace, with Shiki starting to move with Itachi's pace unconsciously.

'_This feels so good…' _Shiki thought breathlessly as Itachi came into her again and again, also feeling his hands fondling her breasts and nipples, and she let out a moan of pleasure. _'I want more.'_

She screamed again as Itachi sped up his pace, brushing against a spot inside her that left her feeling extremely lightheaded and breathless, itching for more as she did so.

"Oh kami… This feels so good…" Shiki moaned, and Itachi smirked. "More! Itachi, more!"

Itachi obliged by speeding his pace and doing her harder, causing Shiki to scream in delight as he hit that desired spot again. "Kami…" Itachi moaned as her walls clammed down around him, causing him to lose whatever restraint and control that he had as he went harder and faster, making Shiki scream in ecstasy. "So you like it rough, don't you?"

"Oh kami… This is…! Itachi…!" Shiki moaned loudly, feeling the pressure building up within her. "Almost…!"

Itachi grunted as he understood what Shiki is trying to tell him as he quickened his pace, thrusting in and out of her, both of them almost reaching their climax. But he wanted more at the same time as he thrust in even deeper into her, causing the pressure within both their bodies to build up even more.

"ITACHI!"

"SHIKI!"

They both screamed out each other's names as they both climaxed at the same time, as Itachi spilled his semen into her at the same moment when her walls clammed down on him.

**{End Lemon}**

"That felt so good." Shiki muttered, falling back onto the bed.

Itachi smirked before kissing her passionately again, feeling her starting to return his gestures as his hands roamed about all over her body, and he then broke their kiss. "Ready for round two?"

Before Shiki could answer that, the ringtone from Itachi's cellphone blared out just then, and he growled before reaching out with one arm towards his discarded jeans on the ground for his phone. Before he could touch that article of clothing however, the ringtone from Shiki's cellphone blared out as well.

Itachi passed to Shiki her cellphone as he didn't move from his place atop her, as both answered their phones at the same time.

"This had _better _be damn important, Kisame, or I swear that you'll be cleaning bathrooms with your bare hands for the next two weeks." Itachi growled into his phone, not feeling very happy at the fact that his vice-captain had just disrupted his love making session with his lover. His brows then rose almost to his hairline. "What? Ne?"

Meanwhile with Shiki, she is frowning intently from her position beneath Itachi. "Danzo?" she echoed. "Are you serious, Gaara?"

"_The information came from Arashi, so it can't be a mistake," _said Gaara on the other end of the line. _"It's some building that Ne had been using for their human trafficking activities. If we hurry, we might be able to get Danzo. Where are you now?"_

"Hagako." Shiki answered, glancing at Itachi who is listening to whatever that Kisame had to say on the other end of the line with a frown on his face. "Where's the location?"

"_Seikan." _Gaara answered. _"It's about a half-an-hour ride from where you are. And with the current awful downpour…" _Shiki glanced out of the window only to both see and hear the raindrops pattering onto the glass panes of the windows angrily. _"How soon can we expect you?"_

"Half-an-hour to forty five minutes." Shiki answered, propping herself up by her elbows. "Tell the others to get ready."

"_Roger." Click._

As Shiki glanced over at Itachi when she hung up the call, she saw that Itachi had hung up his call as well, and was looking towards her. "Danzo and Ne have made an appearance at last after the last incident at the TV station." He informed her, and Shiki nodded, having had a feeling earlier that Itachi's phone call might be related to her own call from Gaara. "And his location is—"

"Seikan." Both answered together, a reigned expression on both their faces.

Itachi then sighed before bending over the bed and retrieving all their clothes, tossing to Shiki her own, and pulling his shirt over his head, getting dressed hurriedly. "Let's hurry."

**XXXXXX**

_Half-an-Hour Later  
__Seikan, Japan_

The low drones of Itachi's motorbike soon droned out as he stopped it beneath a large oak tree, with the rain falling onto them. Shiki got off the bike behind Itachi as she landed onto the ground on both feet.

"We'd best part ways here," said Shiki, and Itachi nodded, killing the engine of his bike.

"Yeah."

**

* * *

**

"Gaara."

Gaara gave a light start as he turned around only to see Shiki approaching him where all of Ragnarok were currently hidden within some trees surrounding the fortress that they were all currently staring at, ignoring the rain coming down on them.

"Shiki."

"What's the situation?" asked Shiki briskly.

"We're still unsure if Danzo is inside as the bug that Shino had sent out hasn't returned," said Haku with a shrug, tilting her thumb towards the fortress that Shiki privately thought looked like some prison fortress. "We also saw ANBUs around the area when we've arrived. Rendoku and Akatsuki are here." Haku glanced at Shiki before turning her attention back towards the fortress. "But one thing that we know for sure though." She exchanged looks with Gaara. "There are children inside. Probably victims of Danzo's human trafficking activities."

"How many—?"

BOOM!

Whatever that Shiki wanted to ask was cut off as a loud explosion rocked the area, and all of Ragnarok have to grab onto nearby trees to steady themselves on their feet as a huge ball of flames engulfed the fortress before their horrified eyes. The loud and terrified screams of children reached their ears just then.

"No…!" Temari whispered, her eyes wide. "T-There is still children inside!"

"No!" Haku made a lunge forwards, but was held back by Gaara. "Gaara! Let me go! The children—"

"It's too late!" Gaara growled in her ears. "The flames are too strong! Not even your powers can douse those flames. You can't save them."

"Damn it!"

**

* * *

**

Itachi's eyes widened with horror when the fortress was engulfed in flames before his eyes, and the screams and cries of children reached his ears.

"No…!"

_Itachi-nii… Do you have a dream?_

_A dream?_

_Yeah. My dream is to have a puppy this big, and where we could live together in happiness forever. Papa and Mama are now in Heaven, but I know that they'll watch over me._

…_what a simple dream._

_Hahaha!_

But that dream…was never fulfilled…

_I-I'll go and get some medicine!_

_Stop it, Itachi-kun! Not even you can survive against that many people! _

_We still have to try!_

_N-Nii-san…_

_I-Itachi-nii… Looks like…my dream…will be just that…a dream…_

_MIKI!_

"…Miki…" Itachi almost whispered, his eyes wide in horror when he saw the strong and powerful flames. _'I couldn't save you. Just like so many children, your life was extinguished in an instant. And even now, I'm still so helpless… Just… Just what have I been doing up till now?'_

His earlier conversation with Shiki came to the surface of his mind just then.

_Times are changing. The current situation at hand had already proven that. The age of the nin-users is slowly coming to an end._

_All of them fought for the same thing. Be it the elimination of nin-users or the usage of them… All of them wanted the same thing: to have the nin-users under their control or destroyed._

_An idealistic dream… One that might never bear fruit._

_Maybe it's just as you've said. Maybe this is just a fool's errand. But better to be a fool than to live your life knowing nothing at all._

Itachi clenched his hands into fists by his sides. _'It's as you've said, Shiki,' _he thought. _'I'm just a fool. A fool clutching onto a hopeless dream.'_

_

* * *

_

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_Are you going to help him?"_

"_What are you going to do, Shiki?"_

"_Disappear…Uchiha Itachi."_


	27. Lost in Darkness

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Seven: Lost in Darkness**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

"I see," said Shiki with a sigh as she spoke into her cellphone, a frown on her face, tapping the toe of her shoe repeatedly against the ground. "Thank you, Shizune-san."

"_No problem," _said Shizune on the other end of the line with a sigh. _"I owe you several favours anyway, and I still hadn't thanked you for having saved Genma. When Rin told me that you've asked me to get an understanding of the explosion at Seikan, I've managed to pull some strings to get what you wanted."_

Shiki sighed. "No survivors?" she questioned.

"_Sorry. None," _said Shizune with a sigh. _"All those in the fortress died. And all were children from the age of three to twelve. Only the bodies of children's bodies were found. No adults. Genma and Asuma both told me that the ANBU had gotten a tip-off about the fortress, and not long after that, Danzo gave the order to destroy all evidences, which basically meant that the fortress must be destroyed. I was the one performing the autopsy for those children, and apparently, Danzo had been performing some experiments on them or something – a by-product of Orochimaru's experiments maybe. Half of those children – even if their bodies were burnt beyond recognition, I knew enough to tell that they were severely deformed as a result of those experiments."_

"Where are those children found by Danzo?" Shiki asked with a frown.

"_Asuma and Genma are now matching DNA samples with the ANBU and police databases," _said Shizune. _"And so far, the children were found to be reported missing by their families a few years ago. The police are ringing up all the families of those children for them to collect their children's bodies." _She sighed. _"It is a sad thing. To see them crying over the bodies of the children when they have harboured so much hope that their children are still alive somewhere."_

Shiki sighed. She had seen something like that back when the TV station was blown up by the ANBU awhile back, and had seen and heard those cries by the families of the dead. She can just imagine a similar image to that happening in the police headquarters now.

"I see."

Shizune sighed. _"Get Danzo, Shiki," _she said simply. _"This is the best thing that you can do for those poor children right now. And personally, I think that you and Ragnarok are much more competent than the ANBU right now."_

"I will," said Shiki grimly. "That's a promise." _Click._

Shiki sighed as she hung up her cellphone, looking up in the night sky where millions of glittery silver stars were visible. She had taken the call from Shizune outside the boathouse, not wanting anyone to overhear her conversation.

The fortress that had blown up had been nearly five days ago, and newspapers were getting splashed with news about that nearly every single day ever since. The redhead sighed again for the umpteenth time that night and turned around to enter the boathouse, closing the door behind her, keeping it shut with her weight as she leaned against the door.

The rest of Ragnarok were all slumped over the couches, floor or even the chairs on the first storey of the boathouse, all with depressed looks on their faces. It is even visible on Shino's face who rarely shows emotions as it is.

"What's up with you guys?" Shiki asked with a raised brow, though she doesn't really need to ask that. "I've never seen you guys so quiet before."

It is true in a way. All of Ragnarok had been awfully quiet for the past few days ever since witnessing the fortress go up in flames five days ago.

"It's just…" Hinata muttered.

Shiki sighed loudly. "You guys have to stop this now," she said sternly, and everyone turned towards her with surprise on their features. "You and I both know that there is _nothing_ that we could have done about that. Thinking about 'what if we had done this' and 'what if we had done that' is futile. It isn't like we can just go back and change the past. The only thing that we can do now is to step up on our efforts to track Danzo."

"I hate fire." Yugito muttered, tightening her arms around her legs that were drawn up to her chest. "Nothing against you, Tenten." She added, glancing at Tenten who nodded with understanding. "But the children… They never had a chance to live properly, and that chance was taken away from them in an instant."

"I thought that we had it bad in the past." Gaara muttered from his place on the couch under the window. "But those children… They had it worse." He glanced at his friends. "At least we managed to make it through all the bad times, and somehow managed to survive. And things got better for us when we've met each other. But those kids…"

Shiki sighed with exasperation. "Alright, stop it! You guys are so depressed that you're even making _me _feel depressed!" she snapped. "The only thing that we can do now is to step up on our efforts to find Danzo. This latest stunt that he had pulled proves that he's back in the country now. I've gotten Arashi and several of my other agents to keep a lookout for Danzo, and Sai is helping as well. I would appreciate it if you could _help _ must still go on after all."

Her friends exchanged looks with each other and amused smiles. "Right."

**XXXXXX**

Hoshigaki Kisame frowned under his raincoat as raindrops pelted down on him. Finally, he hung up his cellphone and slipped it into his pocket before turning towards Nagato and Konan.

"No good?" asked Konan, biting on her lower lip, and Kisame shook his head. "I see." She exchanged looks with Nagato. "Where could he be?"

The two guys with her exchanged looks and sighed.

After that fortress had gone up in flames, Tsunade had sent all of Akatsuki to hunt down anyone who even seems to be remotely related with Danzo, and to get his whereabouts from his lapdogs. Also, several remnants of Orochimaru's old organisation had been wandering around, wrecking havoc as well, and Akatsuki were sent for a mission of elimination as a result.

Only problem is that Akatsuki's captain is currently nowhere to be found.

Everyone knew just how affected by the fortress's explosion Itachi is.

Granted, the TV station incident is similar to it, but there weren't children in there at that time. Itachi always had a soft spot for children, probably because that he had been the one to raise Sasuke single-handedly after their parents have died during the war. But after giving Tsunade their report for the fortress explosion (it's more like it's Kisame giving the report whilst Itachi stood there like a block of wood), Itachi had vanished.

And this is problematic for them, as Tsunade had ordered all of Akatsuki to be on this mission. Privately, Kisame, along with all his comrades thought that it is extremely cruel of Tsunade to order Itachi on this when she _knew perfectly well _that Itachi is still suffering inside, and is obviously in no condition to be on a mission, but…

With Itachi's disappearance, Kisame had taken the reins for team Akatsuki and for this mission, doing as best as he could. He had also gotten Sasuke and Shikamaru searching for the elusive Uchiha, and the two were currently turning all of Japan upside-down to search for the missing Uchiha _without _Tsunade finding out about it, but to no avail. If even the said guy's younger brother failed to find him, then there is probably only one person who might know where he is now.

Kisame sighed before glancing at the two with him. "Go and meet up with Sasori and Deidara at the rendezvous point," he instructed, and the two stared at him with confusion. "Just go. I'll catch up with you soon."

The two nodded doubtfully before turning to leave. Once Kisame was certain that they were gone, he then fished out his phone and dialled Sasuke's number. "Sasuke, it's me," he said once the call was picked up. "Head to The Locket bar in Leaf City, and look for an informant by the name of Zetsu. Tell him that Kisame sent you." He sighed. "No one knows where your brother is, and even Zetsu doesn't know. But there is one person whom I know that might be able to find him. Tell Zetsu that Kisame said that it's okay to let you know about Namikaze Shiki and her true identity. Ask Zetsu where to find her, and then tell her everything." Kisame sighed. "She is the only person who might know where to find Itachi now, and to save him from the darkness that he is now lost in."

**XXXXXX**

_District 30  
__Hagako, Japan_

The skies were rumbling lightly with the telltale signs of approaching rain in the distance, and Sumaru and Namikaze Shiki were both seated atop the railings just outside the old hideout of the street gang Blade, talking about nothing in particular.

The fortress explosion incident had all but shredded Shiki's clothes when she had to run after Haku to drag her back, so that the ice maiden doesn't seek her own death. But the end result is that she has to replace her clothes, as her old ones were beyond repair.

Shiki is now wearing a black sleeveless tunic-like top, with a white spaghetti strap shirt beneath and black pants that went to her thighs, with a silver belt around her waist. Black fingerless gloves were strapped on her hands, and a pair of white armbands was visible around both her biceps, with black and white sneakers on her feet, with the black magatama that Itachi had bought for her seventeenth birthday hanging on a black cord around her neck. A pair of silver bangles was also visible around both her wrists, and like nearly every single member of Ragnarok who had some sort of weapon on their person, Shiki had a wakizashi hanging from a holster at the back of her waist.

"I've gotten some of my boys to keep a lookout for Danzo." Sumaru informed Shiki. "No news so far, but we're still looking."

Shiki sighed. "Well, I didn't think that it is going to be easy," she muttered. "We've been searching for him for close to five years after all. The fortress explosion is just all the confirmation that we needed that he is back in this country."

Sumaru sighed, taking a swig out of his can of beer. "How are the others holding up?" he asked Shiki. "After they've seen the fortress go up in flames, and seen all those children die?"

Shiki sighed. "They're dealing with it," she said. "But they're tough. Something like this isn't enough to put them down."

"I guess." Sumaru mused.

He then blinked and stared at something over Shiki's shoulder, and the redhead turned to see what Sumaru is so interested in, only to see a younger version of her lover standing behind her. Shiki narrowed her eyes.

"You are…"

"Namikaze Shiki?" The teen behind her questioned, and Shiki nodded her head, still with wary eyes, having recognised the boy almost as soon as she had laid eyes on him. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

"I know," said Shiki with suspicious eyes. "I've seen you countless times before. You're the captain of team Rendoku, right? An ANBU."

Sumaru tensed up from beside Shiki, and he slipped his hand into his pocket, drawing out a switchblade, flicking the blade out. The blade glinted in the light, and it looked sharp and well polished – almost like Sumaru had sharpened and polished this blade every single day.

"Stop it, Sumaru," said Shiki, placing one hand over the hand of her old friend – the one holding the switchblade. "I don't sense any other ANBUs around. He isn't here for a fight." The redhead turned back towards Sasuke. "What brings you here?"

Sasuke sighed to himself. He must be nuts to even come _alone _to meet the girl who is the leader of the organisation that the entire ANBU forces in Japan had been after for nearly five years now, at this point in time. He almost had a heart attack when the informant that Kisame had told him about told Sasuke that the leader of Ragnarok is his brother's lover.

Though Sasuke guessed that it explains just why Itachi had been so fidgety whenever the topic of Ragnarok came up, and why he had always seem reluctant to go after them.

"You're…my brother's lover, right?" Sasuke asked unsurely, not knowing just how to put that question across, and Shiki frowned but nodded. "I had my initial suspicions beforehand about my brother's mysterious girlfriend, as he was so down for awhile a couple of months ago that it isn't even funny. And it is right after that TV station incident." He then bowed to a bewildered Shiki and confused Sumaru. "Please. Help my brother. Help Itachi. He…is currently lost."

Shiki and Sumaru exchanged confused looks before turning back towards Sasuke. "Sasuke…is it?" Shiki asked slowly, and Sasuke nodded. "You've got me lost. Why don't you explain everything right from the beginning?"

"Right," said Sasuke with a nod. "I don't really know all the details, but after the last mission that my brother and his team were sent on – the fortress that went up in flames—" Shiki nodded to show that she understood. "—Itachi lapsed into depression. Probably seeing all those children die is the reason. He always did have a soft spot for children. After that, Itachi vanished, even though the ANBU commander had sent Akatsuki out for a first priority mission after the remnants of Orochimaru's men who are currently running amok after the rumours of Danzo returning to this country have spread. I hadn't been able to find him for nearly five days now. I'm getting worried. No one had been able to find him. Kisame told me that you might be able to find him. Please!" Sasuke bowed to Shiki. "Find my brother. Please help him!"

Sumaru and Shiki exchanged looks before turning back towards Sasuke. "Sasuke. Return to the ANBU for now," said Shiki at last. "I…can't give you any promises that I might be able to find him, but…" She sighed. "…I'll try my best. Just return for now."

Sasuke nodded, and bowed again to her. "Thank you!"

Sumaru and Shiki waited until the ANBU was out of sight before exchanging looks with each other. After what seemed like a long while, Sumaru sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "What are you going to do, Shiki?" he asked.

Shiki said nothing for several moments as she fiddled with her fingers, her arms resting on her knees as she stared at the ground beneath her feet from her place atop the railings in front of her old gang's hideout. Finally, she sighed, and looked at Sumaru.

"…I don't know."

Sumaru looked at his old friend closely. "Are you going to help him?" he asked, and Shiki shrugged silently. "I understand your conflicts." Shiki looked at Sumaru who had a small smile on his face. "I know that he makes you happy, and that is enough for me, even though I don't like the fact that he is an ANBU agent. He is the leader of the group that had killed Kankuro. You can never forgive him for this. But…" Sumaru sighed. "He has most probably been feeling guilty over this ever since it had happened. And with the outcome of his last mission…"

Sumaru gestured with his hands. "You can probably guess what he must be feeling and thinking right now. He must be close to losing his mind. You gave me, Hotaru and Mizure everything that we have right now. You saved us. You saved all of Blade. We don't blame you for what had happened back then. I'm sure that if Riku and the others were still alive, they wouldn't blame you as well. All that we wanted is for you to be happy." Sumaru smiled. "Go to him, Shiki. He needs you now."

Shiki bit on her bottom lip for several moments before glancing at Sumaru.

"…thank you."

**XXXXXX**

Shiki stepped on the accelerator of her motorbike as fast as she could go as she drove from Hagako to Hiraiko. If Itachi's ANBU teammates and his own younger brother couldn't find him, then she thinks that she might know where he might possibly be. The route that she was taking to Hiraiko from Hagako is fairly deserted, something that she is thankful for, and it also gives Shiki a chance to clear her head.

'_Itachi…' _she thought, twisting the accelerator gear to make her bike go even faster. _'Don't do anything stupid.'_

_Give me another chance, Shiki._

_Just wait for me. For you, I can give up anything. Even my career._

Shiki also remembered when Neji had first told her his and Hinata's story just after they have both 'joined up' with her.

_In our village, there is a ritual called the cleansing ritual. Every thirty years, our village will sacrifice a nin-user to calm the Fire Mountain. Back then, Hinata was the chosen one. I protested then. But then, they told me that 'if there is another way, don't you think that we would have done that by now?' That's what they said. But then, the village was attacked on the ritual night, and in the midst of the confusion, I took Hinata with me. And as a result, the village…doesn't even exist anymore. It was all wiped out on that night._

Shiki gritted her teeth, increasing her speed. _'Shino tried ending his life back then. So did Yugito. Gaara, Temari and Kankuro nearly died at Amachi's hands. Haku was nearly killed by her father. Hinata and Neji narrowly escaped death. So did Tenten. And I…' _Her lips twisted in a half-scowl half-smile. _'If I hadn't managed to escape from the lab back then, I would probably have died as well. I managed to save them all. That's why…' _Tears fell from the corners of her eyes. _'Itachi… Don't do anything stupid!'_

Her speed increased.

**

* * *

**

_Hiraiko  
__Japan_

Shiki frowned as she stepped out of the apartment that Itachi had bought in Hiraiko nearly a year ago. Apart from Itachi, she is the only one who had the key to it, and she is pretty sure that no one else knew about this place belonging to Itachi.

The blankets of one of the rooms in the apartment were messed up, with the white pristine curtains fluttering about in the strong wind as the windows were opened. Empty beer cans were also scattered all over the bedroom, along with the strong smell of liquor. Various articles of clothing were also scattered all over the bedroom.

Thus, Shiki is sure that Itachi had been here, and this is where he had been locking himself up for the past several nights.

Then where is he now?

The eyes of the redhead then went towards the forest just north of Hiraiko, and she frowned. Her instinct is screaming at her to head there immediately, and she doesn't know why, but she had a really bad feeling about this as well.

'_It can't be…'_

**

* * *

**

_Forest  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

Somewhere in the forest of Hiraiko where even the most insane of men would _never _venture into, Uchiha Itachi was currently in there, leaning against the tree trunk of a rather large oak tree, even as the low rumblings of an approaching storm rumbled in the distance.

The young man's once neat hair was dishevelled and left undone around his shoulders instead of it in it's usual ponytail, almost like he had never heard of a comb before in his life. His face was also flushed slightly with the consummation of alcohol earlier, with a beer can in his right hand.

Hiccupping slightly, Uchiha Itachi stared at his right hand in his current alcohol induced state, not really seeing anything at all.

_You don't know anything at all, do you? You don't even understand the way this world works._

_You left them there to die._

_Times are changing. The current situation at hand had already proven that. The age of the nin-users is slowly coming to an end._

_All of them fought for the same thing. Be it the elimination of nin-users or the usage of them… All of them wanted the same thing: to have the nin-users under their control or destroyed._

_An idealistic dream… One that might never bear fruit._

_Maybe it's just as you've said. Maybe this is just a fool's errand. But better to be a fool than to live your life knowing nothing at all._

Itachi hiccupped, leaning back against the tree. _'Shiki…' _he thought, staring at his hand. _'You're right. I… Just what have I been doing until now?'_

_Nin-users have the power to protect people. That's why that power is given to them._

Itachi clenched his right hand into a fist, not caring that he had dropped his beer can on the forest ground, spilling the contents of the can onto the forest bed. _'If my given power can't even protect people—'_

_What are you using your powers for?_

'_I can only kill people.' _Itachi thought in a daze. _'I can't even protect the people whom I wanted to protect most of all. I kept hurting you again and again, and yet, you had always forgiven me. I'm the lowest of the low.'_

_Just why did you join the ANBU in the first place?_

Itachi closed his eyes briefly. _'I have no idea anymore…'_

_You could only blindly follow orders…just like a caged bird. You don't even know what you're fighting for._

'_ANBU…is my prison.' _Itachi chuckled darkly to himself, one without any humour in it. _'Since when did it turn into my prison, I wonder?'_

_This world thrives on pain and hatred alone. Hatred rules our world. Do you seriously think that we could still continue living this lie, and pretended that nothing had happened?_

Itachi closed his eyes briefly.

_Once you've found your answer, then come and find me._

A small smile graced Itachi's face as he pushed himself off of the tree trunk that he was leaning on, and he then almost stumbled over his own feet in his own alcohol induced state as he walked towards the middle of the forest.

"That's it…" Itachi slurred. "Why did I never think of it in the first place?" He nearly tripped over his own feet before he straightened himself up, staring at his right hand. "This cursed power… The one that even my own parents feared…" A tear dropped from his eye. "I shall end it with me." He closed his eyes, and a light vortex of flames started swirling around him. "Disappear…Uchiha Itachi."

And a large vortex of flames then went up around him.

"_Itachi!"_

A voice that Itachi never thought that he'll hear reaches his ears just then, and he turned only to see Shiki leaping through the flames and hugging him around the waist from behind, despite the flames licking at her skin, obviously hurting her.

Itachi's eyes widened at that. _'No…'_

"Let go of me!" Itachi tried to pried Shiki's hold on him. "You'll get burned too!"

"I won't let go!" Shiki shook her head frantically. "If you do this, we can't ever be together again!" Itachi's eyes widened at that, and Shiki tightened her hold around him. "If you still want to die, take me with you!" Shiki bit back a cry of pain as the flames licked around her left wrist.

Itachi's eyes widened. _'No… I never want to hurt anyone else with my flames. Never again. That's why…I joined the ANBU. I thought that I'd be able to fit in… I… What am I doing?'_

"STOP!"

The smell of burning leaves and grass filled Itachi's nostrils as he panted heavily, hunched over on his knees on the forest bed. "What in the world were you thinking?" Shiki shouted, both fear and anger laced in her voice as she grabbed Itachi by his shirt and brought him forward so that he is nose-to-nose together with her. "Why would you do such a stupid thing like that?"

"I…"

"If it is about that fortress going up in flames, what can you even do back then?" Shiki cut Itachi off. _"Nothing! _There is no point in thinking of 'what if I had done this' or 'what if I had done that'! It isn't like you can just go back and change the past! The only thing that you _can _do is to live on, and _not_ to make the same mistake again! Life must still go on!" Shiki breathed heavily. "Please… Don't leave me behind."

Itachi's eyes widened when he caught sight of the horrendous burn wounds around Shiki's left wrist, and he caught that hand, careful not to touch the burn injuries. But Shiki yanked her hand away from Itachi, cradling it to her chest. "I'll get Haku to take a look at it later. Don't worry about it," she said. She then glanced at Itachi. "Your brother paid me a visit. He told me what happened." Itachi's eyes widened. "Don't you see that you're worrying lots of people like that? People who care about you. You still have so much to live for." Shiki sighed. "Itachi, you gave me your love once. Now share it with the world. Your teammates need you now. More than ever."

"I…"

"You're tired, aren't you?" Itachi was taken aback as Shiki placed both her hands by the sides of his face. The redhead smiled softly at him. "You're always so serious…yet timid at the same time. So strong…and also so kind. You're tired of all this, aren't you? I always thought that you were that sort of person. The first time that I've met you…and even now."

Itachi glanced down at his clenched fists. "I…am?"

"Am I wrong?" Shiki questioned. "The Akatsuki had always relied on you because you're that sort of person, aren't you? They need you now. Are you going to abandon them?"

"I…" Itachi bit on his lip, not knowing what to say. He was taken aback as Shiki touched his hair.

"It's gotten long," she commented.

Itachi smiled at her. "Because I want you to be the one to cut it."

**

* * *

**

Shiki stared wordlessly at Itachi's departing back as he rushed to wherever he had parked his motorbike, ready to rush to his comrades' aid, and a small smile then lit her face up. The redhead then dug about in her pocket before pulling out a long silver chain with a small rectangular plastic container hanging from it, in which a black data chip was visible.

Shiki closed her eyes briefly before stuffing the chain back inside her pocket. _'I'm sorry, Itachi,' _she thought. _'I can't tell you everything yet.' _She looked up at the night sky. _'It all begins from here.'_

_The game starts now. Let's play._

_

* * *

_

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_Then you leave me with no other choice, nii-sama."_

"_A fealty of loyalty in underworld gangs is different. When you swear your loyalty to someone, it is for life until the day that you die."_

"_I swear my loyalty."_

"_I guess that it's alright…to talk about the past every once in awhile. Do you want to hear it? The past of the street gang Blade."_


	28. Blade

I am back! And no, I am not dead yet! Schoolwork and assignments have been 'growing' by the day, and I swear that the damn pile is growing, as I can never seem to finish it!

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Eight: Blade**

Hoshigaki Kisame is staring.

Hard.

"You. Are. Crazy." He decided, staring at Uchiha Itachi like he had suddenly grown two new heads. "There is no way in _hell _that Tsunade-sama would even agree to your crazy plan!"

The two were currently in the office of team Akatsuki in the ANBU Headquarters of Leaf City. It was late at night, and thus, the two of them were the only ones left in the office as the rest of their teammates have long gone off for the night.

It had been two days since Itachi had 'returned' so as to speak, much to all his teammates' relief, as they weren't sure just how long they could keep Itachi's disappearance from the ANBU commander. Though Kisame did give Itachi the roasting of his life after their mission for scaring the hell out of him like that for disappearing all of a sudden.

Uchiha Itachi sighed as he looked over at Kisame over his pile of paperwork currently piled up on his desk. "Then would you prefer for us to continue fighting Ragnarok until all of us are dead?" he questioned tiredly. "You know how powerful they are, and just how much influence they wield in the country. Besides, we have some major problems with Danzo and Ne recently, as well as the remnants of Orochimaru's old Oto organisation, and as far as I know, Ragnarok are the only ones out there who knew more about them than anyone else!"

Kisame was silent as he thought back about his last encounter with his younger sister. It wasn't exactly pretty, and they ended up clashing blades with each other. That horrible feeling of pointing his weapon at his younger sister…the very person whom he wanted to protect… Kisame closed his eyes. He never wanted to experience that again.

_Then you leave me with no other choice, nii-sama._

"I don't know." Kisame said at last. "It is true that they knew more of Danzo and Ne more than anyone else, but—"

"They're not exactly friendly with Ne. In fact, last that I'd checked, they outright _loathed _them," said Itachi, twirling a pen in between the fingers of his right hand with a frown on his face. "Besides, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'." He quoted. "That convincing enough?"

Kisame sighed. "It's enough to convince _me,_ but I'm not sure about the others," he stated. "Besides, I don't want to accidentally get on Ragnarok's bad side, though it probably didn't matter by now, since Ragnarok is really pissed off with us especially after the deaths of their comrades at our hands. You knew and heard of what they can do, Itachi."

"Don't worry, I have a way to contact them. We'll then decide from there." Itachi stated.

Kisame sighed.

**XXXXXX**

_Graveyard  
__Hagako, Japan_

The graveyard of Hagako is as silent as always, with not a single soul in sight.

As such, one Namikaze Shiki found it extremely quiet but relaxing as she stood in front of a line of gravestones, brushing off the leaves on the gravestones, and also cleaning the stones with a cloth that she had with her.

Autumn had fallen, and the weather is getting colder, like how it does every single time that autumn hits Japan. It is almost like a sign of warning as to just how cold that winter would be once it visits Japan within a few months.

_Shiki-nee! Tohru is being mean!_

_Tohru! What did you do this time?_

_I didn't do __**anything!**_

_Liar!_

_I'm gathering comrades. To protect Hagako. Would you like to come with me?_

_I see. Blade huh? I don't do well as someone's follower though._

_Then would you be my protector? Would you protect me?_

Shiki sighed, closing her eyes, pulling at the sleeves of her coat unconsciously over the burn scars that she'd gotten when she had pulled Itachi out of that fire nearly a week ago. Haku and Hinata have plain freaked out when they saw the scars, but no matter how much healing that they have put into those injuries, it just wouldn't heal. It'll stay on Shiki until the day that she dies as a reminder as to how Itachi had nearly died that night.

_Everyone's still fighting, huh? The world never changes, did it? It was this way back then, and it is still the same now. Even our contributions as Blade couldn't do much._

_Live on for me, Shiki. Live on the way that I couldn't._

Shiki closed her eyes before opening them again, tracing the words engraved in the gravestone that she is currently standing in front of with her eyes.

_Satochi Riku_

"I know that I said that I'll live on for both of us," she whispered. "But it's easier said than done." Shiki then fell silent. "And if this is the right thing to do, then why does it hurt so much?"

"Maybe because you regretted it," said a voice from behind her, and Shiki turned around only to see someone whom she least expected to be here standing behind her, walking up the pathway that leads through the graveyard. "Shiki, we need to talk."

Shiki was silent as she stared at him. "Uchiha Itachi," she muttered.

**XXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

"Shiki told me about it," said Sumaru as he glanced at Sai who was sitting beside him, both of whom have hot cups of coffee in front of them. "She said that you've been helping her to trace Danzo's and Ne's movements."

Sai nodded. "It's the least that I could do to atone for my sins," he muttered. "Furthermore, Shiki said that she'd try to help me find Yamato-nii."

Sumaru sighed. "I see," he said. "So she believes that he is still alive too."

Silence fell between them both for a long time before Sai broke the silence. "Come to think of it, I hadn't visited the others for a long time now," he said at last. "I hadn't been back to Hagako ever since their demise. I avoided that place like the plague ever since Blade had disbanded itself."

Sumaru sighed. "Tell me about it," he said. "I do too. Mizuro and Hotaru as well. Survivors of Blade never liked to return there. I think that Shiki is the only one among us who returned there every now and then, visiting Riku and the others occasionally."

Sai sighed. "When would she stop punishing herself?" he wondered out loud.

Sumaru snorted. "Same as us: never," he stated. "She went back there every few months."

"And does it look like she's enjoying it?"

"More like torturing herself." Sumaru muttered. "I hadn't had a chance to talk about the past with anyone for a long time now."

"Yeah, the good old times…" Sai managed a small smile. "Blade… Hagako… Riku…Sara…Jun… Everyone…"

"Blade…" Sumaru smiled wistfully. "I want to return to that time. But we can never do that. Not any longer…"

**XXXXXX**

_Graveyard  
__Hagako, Japan_

"What do you want?"

Itachi winced slightly at Shiki's cold tone. Seems like she still hadn't fully forgiven him for trying to 'off' himself back then, as well as the deaths of her two comrades months prior.

"I…well… _We _need your assistance." Itachi stated, only to wince at Shiki's murderous glare. Good Heavens! If looks could kill, he'll be a hundred feet under. He wouldn't be surprised to see laser beams come out of Shiki's eyes.

"Assistance given freely is in short supply these days." Shiki stated bluntly. "And besides, it'll be a cold day in Hell the day that I help the ANBU. And even if I am willingly to help those bastards, my friends would rather go all friendly with Ne and Danzo than go near those fucking murderers whom you callcomrades with a ten foot pole!"

Itachi winced at this barb.

"I'm sure that we can work something out, Shiki," said Itachi. "All that we ask is yours and Ragnarok's help in finding out what Danzo and Ne are up to, alongside whatever survivors of Oto that there are."

If it is even possible, Shiki's scowl deepened. "Does it looks like I'm drunk?" she stated bluntly. "Do you take me for a fool? I know what the ANBU is like. They'll use you, then once you are no longer of any use to them, they'll discard you!" _'Just like Kakuzu.' _"And the fact that Ragnarok can break into and escape from your headquarters so easily multiple times must tell you something about your vaunted security?"

"Just help us stop Danzo, Shiki!" Itachi nearly pleaded. "If Ne is on the move as well, they present a terrible threat to not only the ANBU, but to Ragnarok as well! They knew about Ragnarok and what they can do! That is why you had been investigating them so closely, isn't it? They knew who you are!"

Shiki scowled at Itachi. "You assume too much, Itachi," she stated. "I hadn't completely forgiven you yet." Itachi winced. "And you expect for me to _help you? _What the hell are you high on?" Itachi wouldn't be surprised to see steam come out of Shiki's nostrils. "My friends and comrades in Ragnarok…do you even know how I had found them in the first place?"

"But I can't let you do this anymore as well, Shiki! This is murder!"

"It may be as you've just said, Itachi, but we didn't have a choice." Shiki stated, narrowing her eyes at Itachi. "None of us have. We are nin-users, plain and simple. We didn't have a choice but to walk this bloodshed path and to stick together just to survive. End of story." She glared at Itachi. "And with that in mind, how the hell do you expect me to convince my friends to help you, huh? Even I'll rather go and join up with Danzo and Ne than bow my head to the ANBU!"

"I—"

"I'm a nin-user," said Shiki calmly. "And not just any nin-user. A S-class type. Just like everyone in Ragnarok. Just like _you. _S-class types like us are pretty rare, and extremely powerful. We'll attract trouble everywhere that we go. Furthermore, I can't do anything but fight and kill people. The only good thing that I can do is to protect people. But even I'm starting to doubt that."

"I live to protect people too," said Itachi. "So I can at least understand a little of what you're thinking. But I failed once. Can I even—?"

"Then protect me," said Shiki simply, cutting Itachi off, and his eyes widened. "Protect me then." She turned around to face Itachi. "Will you protect me? To let yourself continue living, will you protect me? Until the day that you die."

Itachi stared at Shiki for several moments before smiling. "It isn't something that you even have to ask," he said.

Shiki smiled. "I guess so," she said. She then sighed. "Just go already. I want to talk with my friends alone without any interruptions. I'll think about your offer."

"Very well," said Itachi before glancing at the gravestones and bowing slightly to them, before turning towards Shiki. "I'll see you soon."

"I personally preferred it if I never see you again, but I guess that it's asking too much of you." Shiki muttered sarcastically before Itachi smiled.

"See you."

Itachi then turned and left.

Shiki sighed loudly as his presence vanished. "That guy… I can never comprehend just what he is thinking," she muttered.

"And what is he thinking?" said a voice, and Shiki turned only to see Gaara and Haku heading up the pathway behind her. "We saw that guy as we were heading up here, though he didn't see us."

"I seemed to be having a lot of visitors today." Shiki muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes skywards. "There is a reason, a _number _of reasons as to why I wanted to be here _alone, _you know?"

Haku winced. "We were worried," she said. "War is about to break out soon. Between the ANBU and us. And with you and that ANBU captain…"

"I understand," said Shiki before turning back towards the gravestone. "I can't even talk to Riku peacefully like this."

"Riku?" Gaara blinked before reading the name engraved on the gravestone. "Come to think of it, you always disappeared for an entire day on this one day every year. You always come here."

"Tonight is their death anniversary." Shiki answered simply. "The night of Blade's demise."

"I…see…"

"I…used to believe in God," said Shiki, and Gaara and Haku both didn't even know whether Shiki was speaking to them or just voicing her thoughts out loud. "As a child, I believed in Him. I believe in Him and His will as well as the justice of the world, and fought for Him and what I believe in. But I was mistaken." Shiki clenched her fists by her sides. "There isn't a God in this world. And neither is there any justice. I learnt that the hard way." She glanced at Gaara and Haku. "The ANBU always preached about justice and all that, but those are just some nice sounding words to make themselves feel better." Shiki turned back towards the gravestone, and clenched her hands into fists by her sides. "I believe in God and Justice, and fought for them both only to realise that they don't exist." Shiki's eyes darkened. "That God doesn't exist."

"The night of Blade's demise." Haku realised what Shiki is talking about.

Shiki nodded. "That's right," she said. She then sighed. "I guess that it's alright to talk about the past every once in awhile." She turned around to face Haku and Gaara. "Do you want to hear it? The past of the street gang Blade."

**XXXXXX**

"I met Shiki before Blade's formation," said Sumaru solemnly, stirring his cup of coffee with a teaspoon, making it thicker than it already is. "That was about ten to twelve years ago. Maybe even a little longer than that. I don't quite remember. By that time, I've already met Hotaru and Mizuro, and we stuck together for survival purposes."

"That was during the time of the aftermath of the war." Sai realised.

Sumaru nodded his head, and Iruka as well as his waiter and waitress found this conversation very interesting and listened in as much as they could. Apparently, Sumaru and Sai didn't mind them listening in, as they didn't bother to lower their voices.

"Hagako was the fifth town that we have tried living in," said Sumaru solemnly, recalling that chaotic time. "Even you must have known just how hard living can be back then, Sai." Sai nodded. "But the three of us hadn't even stepped foot into Hagako for longer than an hour before someone tried to kill us." Sumaru sighed. "And then again, you really don't need a reason to kill a person back in those times. At that time, the one who had saved us was Shiki." Sumaru smiled. "And then…that was when she started forming Blade."

**

* * *

**

"Sumaru, Mizuro and Hotaru were the first friends whom I'd made in Hagako when I'd 'saved' them," said Shiki, keeping her eyes on the gravestone. "I met Yamato and Sai about six months after I'd met Sumaru and the others after that."

Gaara frowned. "Yamato?"

"Sai's brother in everything but blood." Shiki answered. "He was a good few years older than us. He was the oldest of all of us. Yamato was about thirteen when I'd first met him. I was about five or six then when I'd first met him and Sai. At that time, they were starving to death in the streets. Hotaru was the one who had brought them both back to our hideout." Shiki raised her head upwards to look at the skies, thinking about the past. "Food was hard to come by in those times, especially with the aftermath of the war, and what little that we could find, we always distributed it equally among ourselves. We…were all war orphans. It was about a year later when I'd met Jun, Sara and Suigetsu, and they insisted on coming with us. And before I even realise it, we have formed a gang by ourselves, and we named it 'Blade'."

"Our power became feared, as we helped kept the order in Hagako. So much so that even the ANBU are wary of us. We used fear to keep the rest of the gangs in line, but you have to understand something: this is the only way to keep them on their toes. We can only use fear. Control fear with fear. That's why Blade is so feared back then, and even now."

"And this Riku person?" Haku asked, glancing at the gravestone. "How did you meet him?"

"It was about ten or so years ago when I've first met him," said Shiki, a small smile curling at the edges of her lips. "At that time, all of us in Blade were 'cleaning house'." She glanced at Gaara and Haku. "Basically, it meant that we were sorting out all the territories and gangs in Hagako. There were only a few places that we wouldn't touch: Hanzo and his Ame's territories." Shiki scowled at the memory of that man. "Blade might be strong and we might be unpredictable, but we aren't suicidal. We just don't have the strength to go up against his gang yet back then." She glanced at the gravestone. "At that time, we heard rumours of a particularly feared gang and their leader in District 8, and we headed there…"

**

* * *

**

"Oh yes, I remember that." Sumaru snorted. "Like always, Shiki just simply dragged us all along for the ride without even bothering to listen to us."

Sai snorted. "I didn't hear you complaining about it back then, Sumaru," he said, and Iruka grinned to himself in amusement. "But that was the first time when we'd met Riku, and also saw the first person who could stand up to Shiki equally in skill. He was also the first one to force her to use her powers. All of us in Blade knew beforehand that she is a nin-user. But she had never been forced to use her powers in a fight before. Jiraiya-sama made sure of that. He made sure that she could fight as a 'mortal' before anything else."

"I swear, Riku and Shiki's fight almost gave me a heart attack several times back then." Sumaru muttered.

Sai smiled. "Satochi Riku…the Death Reaper. Leader of District 8 of the city of Hagako, also known as Hanging Men Street."

**XXXXXX**

_Doors slammed shut, and everyone was ducking into nearby buildings or even alleys as the members of Blade walked down the street – both the regular members and the 'runners' – the 'minions' of Blade. And who could blame the people here, especially since Blade had quite a reputation for themselves as it is?_

_And the fact that they were all armed with weapons is another reason._

_Suigetsu whistled as he shifted the hold that he had on his long dagger that had a jagged blade. "Man, everyone's hiding from us," he whined. "We're not __**that**__ scary, are we?"_

"_Who cares about that?" Sara snapped._

_Shiki smiled but ignored the usual bickering pair behind her. She then brightened up as she caught sight of a rather tall building which is the best-kept building in the entire district that is also the only one that is __**not **__falling apart. There was also a fence all around that building with 'Keep Out' tapes plastered all over it._

"_Is that Eva's hideout? The gang of the Death Reaper?" Shiki questioned Sai who is beside her, with Yamato on her other side, the two being the information specialists and spies of Blade._

"_Yes."_

"_I see," said Shiki. "Sara, do your thing."_

_Sara stopped in mid-argument with Suigetsu about something that had to do with weapons, and grinned. "Alright," she said before pulling out several small black balls in between her fingers, identifying them as smoke bombs as well as pellet bullets._

_Suigetsu then got down to the ground, with his hands cupped together in front of him. Sara then stepped onto his hands, and was then launched into the sky, launching the bombs in her hands all around the compound of Eva's hideout._

_The fence went down within a matter of moments, and it was also a matter of moments before several gang members came running out, all armed with weapons of all kinds. _

"_It is amazing that this guy had managed to get all these people into his gang in only a year," said Jun as he swung his dagger at a nearby enemy before pivoting around on his heel and stabbing another one in the gut._

"_Less talking, more fighting!" Hotaru snapped._

_Shiki stepped out of the lunge of an incoming enemy that Yamato is quick to intercept behind her, before she used that same guy as a stepping board, tossing several small daggers down at the enemies, landing on a nearby tree, resting the blade of her dagger against her shoulder._

"_Shiki is going overboard as usual." Sumaru muttered as he punched another guy in the face, tossing him towards Suigetsu's direction who is having the time of his life swishing their enemies up like swish kebab._

"_Does that even matter?" Mizuro asked, standing back-to-back with him._

_Sumaru grinned. "Nope. Don't think so."_

_There was a loud crash somewhere just then, and all fighters looked up only to see that a huge hole had been blown in the wall of the building, and smoke was currently billowing out of it._

_Yamato groaned. "This has Suigetsu written all over it," he groaned._

"_And Sara." Sai piped in. "Put those two together, along with a fight on hand, and you'll have trouble with a capital T, Yamato-nii."_

_Yamato groaned._

**XXXXXX**

_Suigetsu grinned as he parried Satochi Riku's blade. "So you must be the Death Reaper, Satochi Riku?" he stated more than questioned. "You're as strong as the rumours say you are."_

_Riku grunted. "There is no need to tell my name to someone who is about to die!"_

_Suigetsu grinned darkly. "Interesting…" he said. "No one touches this guy! He is mine!"_

_Suigetsu dodged Riku's swipe at him, but he wasn't quick enough to dodge a kick that came out of nowhere, nailing him in the gut. There was an explosion somewhere to his side just then as one of Riku's people came out of nowhere, but was knocked out of the way by Sara who was currently wielding her twin daggers. Satochi Riku was dashing at him just then, and Suigetsu growled, readying his dagger._

_But a bare hand intercepted the blade of Satochi Riku, and the eyes of both Suigetsu and Riku were wide at the sight of Blade's infamous leader blocking a blade with her bare hand alone._

"_You're as dangerous and strong as the rumours stated." Namikaze Shiki stated simply, and Riku leapt backwards immediately. "I'm Namikaze Shiki. But most people call me Death's Bringer here." She smirked darkly at Riku, and a pair of twin daggers appeared like magic in both her hands, and she took a stance. "Let's dance."_

**XXXXXX**

"The fight lasted for an entire three days. And for three days, not a single soul in Hagako dared to come out of their homes, as our fight with Eva could be heard and felt all over town."

Gaara and Haku almost sweat dropped at that. Are the people of Hagako _that _afraid of a bunch of kids?

**

* * *

**

"What happened then?" Iruka asked with interest.

Sai and Sumaru exchanged amused looks before snorting. "Riku was trounced." Sai stated. "And then again, Shiki didn't exactly get away unscathed either. I spoke with Riku about a year or two after he joined us about the battle. Even he admitted that it was a complete beating. And naturally, as the leader of Eva, he was fully prepared to be killed. But Shiki…"

**XXXXXX**

"_This is the first time that I'd met someone who could land a hit on me." Shiki stated, staring at the deep and long cut on her left arm where a roll of bandages was wound around it – courtesy of Sara. She then turned and glanced at Satochi Riku who is kneeling before a small altar, his back turned to her. "You're strong. The rumours don't do your strength any justice. You're also the first person who could force me to use my powers."_

"_Nin powers or not, it is still a tool at your disposal." Riku stated from his place before the altar. "I lost fair and square. If you had been serious right from the beginning, you would have killed me easily."_

"_Perhaps." Shiki agreed before pushing herself off of the pillar that she is currently leaning against, and walking towards the window where she could see that Blade were tending to the injuries of their comrades. "But it seems like a waste to kill you when you have so much talent. Why don't you join Blade? How about it?"_

_Riku stiffened and turned around to face Shiki, a look of shock on his face. "Join Blade?"_

_Shiki nodded. "I'm gathering comrades. To protect Hagako," she stated. "Would you like to come with me?"_

"_I see. Blade huh?" Riku closed his eyes briefly. "I don't do well as someone's follower though."_

"_Then would you be my protector? Would you protect me?" Shiki asked._

_Riku stiffened, and didn't say anything for several moments. Shiki then sighed. "Can't make up your mind now?" she questioned. "Fine. I'll give you three days. Come to District 30 of Hagako before three days are up. Head to our hideout in Dead Men's Street. You know where it is."_

_Shiki then turned to leave._

**

* * *

**

_Shiki tugged firmly on the bandages bounding Sai's arm, resulting in a pained scream from the boy himself. "That freaking __**hurts! **__Are you trying to kill me?"_

"_Of course it hurts!" Shiki snapped back. "What am I going to do with you? Do you think that you're immortal or something to be __**that **__reckless? Even if you have nine lives like a cat, you're bound to use it all with how reckless that you are!"_

_Yamato laughed. He then turned serious. "Shiki, are you sure that that guy will come?"_

"_Who knows?"_

"_Shiki, the Death Reaper is here." Sara poked her head in just then through the doorway, and Yamato almost choked on his spit. "Should I let him pass?"_

"_Yeah."_

_And then, the Death Reaper himself came, walking fearlessly into the hideout of the most feared gang in all of Hagako to where Shiki sat on the worn out couch with one leg thrown over the other._

_Some of the 'runners' made an attempt to stop him in his tracks, but a wave from Jun caused them to stand down as Satochi Riku stood in front of Shiki, with Sumaru standing by Shiki's side, with a hand on his weapon just in case._

"_So you're here," said Shiki simply, leaning back against the couch. "I was wondering if you're going to show."_

_Satochi Riku said nothing before he knelt with one knee before Shiki, and all the regulars of Blade that were present frowned. Riku then used the forefinger and middle finger of his right hand to touch his left shoulder – a simple gesture only understood by the underworld gangs which marked a vow of fealty._

"_I swear my loyalty." Satochi Riku stated._

**XXXXXX**

"If truth be told, I wasn't really expecting for him to show up at my hideout," said Shiki, her lips pulling at the ends slightly in amusement. "I was testing him when I'd invited him to join Blade. Like everyone else, I knew of the Death Reaper, Satochi Riku. They say that he's stubborn to the point of being obstinate. I was fully prepared to kill him during our fight like all those that we have throughout that year when Blade was 'cleaning up' Hagako. It is merciless, I know, to kill the leaders of the gangs residing there when they've done nothing to us, but it is necessary if we want control. I was fully prepared to kill Riku during our fight with Eva. But something changed."

Shiki glanced at Gaara and Haku. "He was able to give me a good fight, and sometime during that battle, I grew a liking to him." Shiki chuckled. "Naturally, I wasn't expecting for him to actually swear a fealty of loyalty to me." Seeing Gaara and Haku's confused looks, she proceeded to expain. "A fealty of loyalty in underworld gangs are different. When you swear your loyalty to someone, it is for life until the day that you die."

"Rather similar to nin-user vows." Haku realised, and Gaara agreed.

"I guess so," said Shiki with a shrug. "It wasn't that long after Riku had joined Blade, maybe about a year or two later when Ne and Oto attacked, and you guys know the rest."

Haku and Gaara fell silent. "We overheard a bit about what Uchiha Itachi told you," said Haku at last. "Are you going to accept it?"

Shiki was silent. "I don't know," she admitted. "But even I know that we can't fight the ANBU like how we have been all these years. Things are changing, and not even I know if it is for the better or for the worse." She looked up at the trees before turning her attention back towards Gaara and Haku. "But I know one thing for sure though: there is a game out there; a game for survival, and the stakes are high. The guy who runs it figures the averages all day long and all night long. Once in a while, he lets you steal a pot. But if you stay in the game long enough, you've got to lose." Her lips curled up in a grim smile. "And once you've lost, there is no way back." Shiki's eyes darkened considerably. "No way at all."

* * *

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_I believe Itachi."_

'_The Revolution has began. Sinners, be warned and beware. You are next.'_

"_I was the one to save your life! You don't get to die unless I say so!"_

"_Answer me one thing, Itachi. Did you kill them?"_

"_Shiki, what is he to you now? Do you still love him?"_

"_Is it for revenge?"_

"_Shiki, I need a favour from you."_

_

* * *

_

_**Upcoming Stories:**_

_**Lost Twilight (Naruto)**_

_The Fourth Great Shinobi War is looming, and after a brief discussion, the kages from all five nations decided to enlist the help of Tsukigakure, a village of onis and outcasts, a village brimming with hatred for the world. But would that village even agree to help them, given the fact that the leader of their main attack force had been abandoned by her father and thrown out of Konoha? FemNaru. Yondaime still alive. Yondaime bashing._

_**Blind Symphony (Naruto)**_

_After an accident that had left Uchiha Itachi, a talented pianist blind, he started living in a world of darkness, not hoping for anything, and neither depending on anyone but his brother. And then, Sasuke introduced Itachi to his best friend, Namikaze Riiyu, a talented musician in her own right, and light soon started shining in his world again. FemNaru_


	29. Falling into Darkness

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Nine: Falling into Darkness**

Hagako had always been a dangerous place.

Everyone knew that, and even the ANBUs are wary of even stepping foot in that place. If they absolutely have to, they usually made it a point to send a full squad into that place so as to increase their chances of getting out alive. It isn't much of a surprise, since nearly all of Hagako hates the ANBU and even the police. Even the small police station in Hagako is merely just there for show, since even the police there wouldn't wish to cross the street gangs of Hagako.

The street gangs that infested Hagako consisted of some of the most dangerous individuals in the underworld. No one crosses them and live to tell the tale. Hagako has a rule there; as long as the police in Hagako don't interfere with the affairs of the street gangs, they wouldn't interfere with the police. Hagako is also a place where only the strong can live.

And like most towns and cities in Japan that has street gangs, every once in awhile, Hagako had racing matches that are almost like _death matches. _Because of the insane number of cheating involved, bets usually ran high as well. As such, death counts are usually high as a result.

Everyone within the perimeter where the racing was taking place was silent as the winner – a racer on a racing motorbike crossed the finishing line. Most of them were regular spectators of racing matches like this, but this is the first time that most of them have seen such reckless actions from this rider.

"Damn…" Some random guy muttered – one of the competitors who had been knocked out of the preliminaries earlier. "Is that guy nuts? Does he not want his life?"

Everyone followed the movements of the winner with their eyes as he accepted the winning money from the stunned judge before riding away, and disappearing around a corner. The rider then looked around to make sure that no one was around before lifting the helmet from his head only for red hair to spill down around the shoulders – revealing the rider to be a girl, and the visage of one Namikaze Shiki appeared from beneath the helmet, pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

Shiki sighed before she stiffened as she glanced over her shoulder over to see a dark haired male walking towards her, and she frowned. "Itachi…" Itachi nodded to her as he approached her. "How did you find me?"

"Iruka-san told me that you'd be here." Itachi answered, and Shiki nodded. "You just about gave me a heart attack with those stunts that you pulled. Danger gives you a thrill or something?" Shiki didn't answer, and Itachi sighed. "Are you not afraid to die?"

Shiki's eyebrow twitched slightly, but other than that, she didn't show any signs of getting affected by Itachi's words. The redhead's mind then drifted towards a time in the past during her time spent in this very city.

_You're sure reckless, Shiki. Are you not afraid to die?_

Shiki closed her eyes briefly. _'Riku…' _She then opened her eyes and glanced at Itachi. "There are things that are worse than death, Itachi," she stated, and the mentioned Uchiha raised an eyebrow in confusion. Shiki sighed. "Come to think of it, today marks the eighth anniversary of the time when we had first met. Maybe even longer."

Itachi managed a small smile. "Yeah." He then shook his head to rid himself of any stray thoughts. "That day feels so long ago now. You've changed since then."

"People change, Itachi."

Itachi smiled a small smile. "Too many things have happened since then as well," he muttered, and Shiki's face fell.

"Yeah." The redhead then glanced at Itachi. "What did you come here for?"

Itachi said nothing for several moments before he looked at Shiki in the eye. "I want to ask you something," he said, and Shiki nodded as a gesture for him to continue. "Shiki. Why are you in Ragnarok?" Itachi frowned. "No. A better question would be, why did you found Ragnarok? The world is at peace before Ragnarok. So why did you…?"

"You're naïve." Shiki snorted, glancing at Itachi. "You are merely averting your eyes away from the sufferings of the world. Why did I found Ragnarok? There are many reasons. But the main reason would be that I just about had enough. I've seen more fights and battlefields than I ever wanted to, and had seen and done things that even the most battle hardened men would have nightmares at, and I wanted to put a stop to that pain and suffering." The redhead glanced at Itachi. "Everyone in Ragnarok feels the same way as well. Those who were used and discarded away…"

_In our village, there is a ritual called the cleansing ritual. Every thirty years, our village will sacrifice a nin-user to calm the Fire Mountain. Back then, Hinata was the chosen one. I protested then. But then, they told me that 'if there is another way, don't you think that we would have done that by now?' That's what they said. But then, the village was attacked on the ritual night, and in the midst of the confusion, I took Hinata with me. And as a result, the village…doesn't even exist anymore. It was all wiped out on that night._

"Those who were experimented on and treated like freaks…"

_I wish that I had died that day. Seriously, I do. But then, Shiki saved us from Amachi. _

"Those who had lost friends due to the stupidity of the ANBU and the world."

_Do you wish that you had followed your people to Death, Yugito?_

_This is your last warning… Leave and don't return…if you don't want to die._

Shiki glanced at Itachi. "Everyone has lost something that they've treasured because of the stupidity of the world. That is the reality of this world."

"But still…"

"I know," said Shiki with a sigh. "To that end, we're just nothing but criminals. We'll accept our punishment, _after _we change this world. Of course, I know that it's not going to be easy. But we're getting there. Slowly."

"Change the world, huh?" Itachi muttered. "It sounds just like you. But with just Ragnarok alone, it isn't possible."

"Who told you that we're the only ones working on that goal?" Shiki asked with a raised brow, and Itachi blinked in confusion. "How many years do you think we have planned for this? We aren't the only ones working on this. We have comrades with the same goal. We're all working together on this. Our enemy here is the ANBU."

"We're not—"

"Open your eyes, Itachi." Shiki snapped. "Even _you_ must have noticed the strange workings of the ANBU lately. The Black Ops Division – the elimination unit of the ANBU. They're only ever sent out in times of war and during large-scale operations like the time with Orochimaru and Ne about five years back. Once they're sent out, it means _total elimination. _Not a single one of the enemy will survive. That's what the Black Ops division is for, and that's why they are also only used during times of war, and during large-scale operations. Yet of late, how many times were they sent out?"

Itachi can only stare. It is true that the Black Ops division had been sent out several times for the past six months. Yet, everyone had assumed that it is only for training sessions. He had also been hearing things from Zetsu, Deidara and Kisame about the recent rumours in the underworld about this town and that town getting wiped out. And strangely enough, those rumours usually circulated _after_ the Black Ops were sent out. Itachi had assumed at first that it is merely rumours, and maybe just a coincidence or two. But now…

"It can't be…" Itachi muttered.

"The resistance movement Baled." Shiki stated, looking at Itachi straight in the eye. "They are one of Ragnarok's allies. Their leaders are some of my friends. We're been preparing for this for over a year now. And it looks like the ANBU are really serious about wiping us out if they're sending the Black Ops into the towns where Baled have their hideouts."

Itachi's eyes widened when he realised the exact reason why those towns were wiped out. "That…can't be…"

Shiki studied Itachi for several moments and sighed. "Looks like no matter what I say, you won't believe me," she said. "Very well. Do you remember my old friends – the survivors from the street gang Blade?" Itachi nodded. "Those four are the leaders of Baled. More specifically, it is Sai and Sumaru who are the leaders. Hotaru and Mizure are more like their assistants. Sai and Sumaru are both now in one of the northern branches of Baled – ten miles west of Lake Ogura. Ask them about what they're doing, and the reasons for it. And I hope that it opens your eyes this time."

**XXXXXX**

_Baled Resistance Movement  
__Shinjuku, Japan_

"Fuu-san! Fuu-san! Utakata-san!"

Some random guy ran into the base of Baled's division at Shinjuku, screaming his head off whilst waving his arms like a windmill.

Their base, like nearly every other, was filled with tents of all kinds, as well as crates of several weapons which ranged from dynamites to rifles to handguns to grenades, etc. There were even guards at the outposts as well as the entrance to the hideout, despite the fact that their hideout is pretty much well hidden in the underground, disguised as one of the sewer drainage tanks.

The ANBU resistance movement Baled had actually been around for about two years now at this point in time, slowly gathering followers and members who didn't like the way that the ANBU works, and their methods to 'make' people see their way.

Baled had originally been founded by Sumaru who had done it as a way to reform the street gang Blade of Hagako, only that he had renamed it as 'Baled' – an anagram of the name 'Blade'. When Sai had been freed from Shimura Danzo's clutches by Namikaze Shiki herself, he had joined Baled as well, and had promptly been made co-leader alongside Sumaru, with the guy being an amazing information specialist and spy.

Baled had been allied with Ragnarok ever since their founding to deal with ANBU and also to help with the clean-ups after every single ANBU's armed intervention which had been getting worse of late. Ragnarok had been a great help to them by getting them supplies for weapons, medical supplies as well as food. When one had been around in the underworld as long as Ragnarok, they tend to have lots of connections.

Midori Fuu was currently standing atop a stepladder, doing some work to what seemed oddly like a cross between a submarine and a small plane. It looks rather like one of those mother ships that one will only see in shows that features fighting robots. Takigawa Utakata was on the other side, doing some work on the mother ship whilst sitting atop it. It is a wonder that he hadn't yet fallen off. Both teens looked up at the sound of their names, stopping in mid-work. As one, the two pulled the safety goggles that they were wearing down from their eyes so that it is hanging around their necks.

"What is it?" asked Fuu, annoyed, a screwdriver in one hand, with a fuser in the other, a rather large assortment of tools gathered in a pile next to her. "Can't you see that we're busy here? We need to get this ready within a month!"

Another guy ran up to the next who was panting for breath, hunched over on his hands and knees. "Someone is coming," he informed the two leaders of the Baled base of Shinjuku.

Utakata and Fuu exchanged quick looks before looking at the messenger. "Is it ANBU?" Utakata asked quickly, a frown on his face.

"No. It seems like it's Shiki-san."

Fuu and Utakata blinked. "Shiki?" They both echoed.

**XXXXXX**

_Baled Resistance Movement  
__Lake Ogura, Japan_

Sumaru and Sai exchanged looks with each other as they watched Itachi walked away from their base, with the ANBU looking as if he had the world's burdens on his shoulders.

"Sumaru, do you really think that we can trust him?" Sai asked, worried, glancing over at his friend. "He is an ANBU after all, and it is a fact that both Baled and Ragnarok have been making quite a spill for the past year, especially Ragnarok. ANBU hasn't been staying quiet as well, and they have even put up wanted posters of Ragnarok as well. But Ragnarok is too smart for them, and none of them have been caught yet. But from what we have heard from Shiki, they are pissed as well, especially after Kankuro's death, and then the Sasame affair. And from what I had heard, the informants' circle isn't pleased as well, as Fuuma Arashi is pretty influential among their circle. It is only a matter of time before this will spin out of control. This internal war between ANBU and Ragnarok and Baled… It will soon blow up into something serious."

Sumaru bit on his bottom lip as he glanced at Sai. "Well, I understand your reasoning, but Shiki trust that guy," he said. "So it should be alright…I hope." He added, not sounding very sure of himself as he did so.

**

* * *

**

Itachi stopped in the distance whilst on his motorbike, and turned around only to see the tiny visage of Baled's Lake Ogura's division in the distance that Shiki had given him the directions to.

A part of him felt glad that Shiki trusted him enough with that information, but another part of him told him that this is valuable information to the ANBU, since many of their ANBU comrades _have _been coming back in body bags or even as dog tags ever since Baled and Ragnarok have began making quite a splash.

Finally, Itachi made up his mind. He pulled out his cellphone with his right hand, and began dialing a number that would change his life, though he wouldn't know it, and probably ruin the relationship that he had with the only person that he had ever loved in his entire life.

Three rings later, the call was picked up. "Hello, Kisame? It's me." Itachi spoke crisply into the phone. "I have information on one of the bases of the resistance movement Baled. Put me through to Tsunade-sama."

**XXXXXX**

_Baled Resistance Movement  
__Shinjuku, Japan_

"Damn, looking good." Shiki said, impressed, as she took a look at the submarine-cum-plane that Fuu and Utakata were both working on. "You both sure are good at this."

"I built this based off one of those machines that I see in one of my favourite shows, Gundam 00." Utakata informed Shiki whilst working on the ship. "It can fly in the air and also travel underwater. Fuu is adding the missile launchers and stuff, and I'm adding in the shield for this ship. It should be ready in about another month or so – we understand the urgency that you need this for."

Shiki sighed. "Thanks for the help," she said. "The boathouse that Ragnarok have been using as our base kind of stands out now, as ANBU had gotten word that we're using a boathouse as our hideout."

"It took them nearly five years to find that out?" Fuu muttered, incredulous, and Shiki grinned in amusement.

Shiki's phone rang just then, and she gave a light start. "Whoops. Excuse me." She fished her phone out only to see the name 'Gaara' flashing on the LCD screen, and answered the call. "Gaara? What is it?" Shiki listened to what Gaara has to say on the other end of the line, and her eyes widened in shock at what Gaara had to say. "Black Ops attacked the base at Lake Ogura?" Fuu dropped the screwdriver that she is using with a loud clang, and both she and Utakata, along with every Baled member within hearing distance turned towards her with a shocked and horrified expression on their face. "Gaara, are you serious?"

**

* * *

**

Uchiha Itachi watched on with horror.

He recognised that symbol on that battle plane that had just flown over his head. It is the symbol of the Black Ops division. So Shiki was right then. The ANBU…

Gulping, he kicked his bike into action before speeding towards the base of Baled that he had just left an hour or so ago. He has to see what they did with his own eyes. Inwardly though, he is praying that what Shiki, Sai and Sumaru have been telling him isn't true.

'_Please… Don't let it be true…'_

**

* * *

**

_Baled Resistance Movement  
__Lake Ogura, Japan_

Tenten who was steering the boathouse at top speed called out to her friends, all the while keeping an eye on the radar system. "We're close, guys! We're nearly there!"

A loud roar of what seemed like a battle plane reaches their ears just then. "What the…?" Haku muttered, looking out of the window only to see two black battle planes flew past over their heads, with the symbol on the side of the planes easily identifying them. "ANBU Black Ops?"

Neji and Gaara exchanged looks before nodding as one. "Everyone, get ready for battle." Neji called out. "If Shiki is here, she would give the same order. Furthermore, Gaara called her earlier. She's on her way from Shinjuku."

The rest of Ragnarok nodded. "Okay."

**XXXXXX**

Shiki had all but leapt off her motorbike the moment that she had arrived at the base, not caring in the least that her motorbike had crashed somewhere behind her as she ran towards the base.

Several bodies of the ANBU Black Ops' agents lay on the ground, dead, along with several Baled members. Shiki's eyes went wide at that. The Ragnarok members were currently helping with the wounded and the dead, especially Haku, Hinata and Yugito. Tenten was standing not too far away from the entrance, and was the first to notice Shiki.

"Shiki."

Shino looked up at that, and approached her. "We didn't really make it in time." Shino answered the unasked question. "Nearly ¼ of Baled was killed before we had even arrived. Sumaru and Sai survived. But the rest of Baled…" He trailed off, glancing at the base.

"This…is shit." Neji approached them just then, looking angrier than Shiki had ever seen him before. "Is this…is this something that humans will do? A full elimination operation of this scale? What the fuck is this? This isn't a war!"

Shiki gritted her teeth together in fury, and her friends looked at her with concern. "It had just become one…" she grinded out. _'Itachi…you bastard… You tipped the ANBU off, didn't you?' _"Fine, they want it that way, then so be it." She glanced at her friends. "Once you see the others, tell them this: if you see an ANBU, _any _ANBU, kill them where they stand. If they can do this to Baled without any mercy, then I shouldn't have to show them any mercy at all. The ANBU are no longer the justice of the country! They are the ones who are initiating war and suffering instead!"

Shiki then stomped off.

A long silence fell among the Ragnarok members.

"Shiki…is really angry, isn't she?" Tenten asked warily. "I've never seen her this angry before."

"I hate this…" Gaara muttered, approaching them, glancing around him at the carnage as he did so, surveying the carnage and the deaths surrounding him. "Is this what the ANBU…what those monsters will do just to wipe their enemies out? You can't be serious…"

Neji and Shino exchanged looks between them. "Looks like the gloves are off now," said Neji wearily. "Let loose the wolves of war."

**

* * *

**

"Shiki." Sumaru nodded to the redhead as she approached them. "We're fine. But really…" He glanced around him at the carnage. "Who tipped the ANBU off?"

Shiki frowned. "I got a brief idea who," she stated.

Light sobs caught her attention just then, and Shiki, Sumaru and Sai turned towards the sound only to see a Baled member slumped on his knees next to one of the deceased, clutching a silver cross in his hand.

"Born…for Him. Die…for Him." He choked out through his sobs, and Shiki's eyes widened at those words as they resounded a chord in her heart. "If that is Fate…one cannot disobey…"

"H-Hey, I'll…make a move first. I'll leave the others here to help you out, okay? I…have some unfinished business to take care of." Shiki muttered, going pale in the face.

Sai and Sumaru exchanged confused looks before turning towards their old leader. "Shiki, are you alright?" Sumaru asked with concern, and Shiki nodded. "Alright. We'll call you later on."

Shiki nodded before she almost ran outside the base and continued running until she couldn't hear the sobs nor smell the blood and the smoke that are the results of the carnage any longer, and took in deep breaths to calm herself down, squatting down at the edge of the lake where she is at. The redhead stared at herself in the reflection of the water, despite the fact that it's nearly night, and she could almost hear Riku's dying words from that fateful night as her reflection in the water seemed to transform into that of Riku's.

_Born for Him. Die for Him. If that is Fate, one cannot disobey. Travel the unseen road. For what lies there is the end of life. That…is God's guidance._

Shiki closed her eyes and tried hard to choke back the sobs that are threatening to well out. _'Never again. I don't want to see something like that from happening again. Why…?' _Shiki wiped her tears away with the back of her left hand. _'Why did something like this happen?'_

**XXXXXX**

_First Security Cell  
__ANBU Headquarters_

Hoshigaki Kisame sighed as he glanced at the nervous guard standing guard outside the metal door that is the first class security cell of ANBU headquarters. "He still pissed off?" he enquired, and the guard nodded wearily. Kisame muttered something beneath his breath before glancing at the guard. "Open the door. I just need a few minutes with him."

"Y-Yes sir." The guard then fumbled with the locks on the door before opening the metal door, allowing Kisame in, closing the door behind the water nin-user as he did so.

Uchiha Itachi was sitting on the lone chair in the middle of the cell, both arms shackled with handcuffs to the arm rests of the chair, as were his feet to the legs of the chair. The Uchiha glared up at Kisame as he leaned against the wall, and sighed.

"Itachi…" Kisame muttered. "Even if you glare at me, it wouldn't change any matters. Why did you attack Tsunade-sama? Even you know that that is an offence enough to get you thrown into the jail cell."

"The Black Ops wiped out the base of Baled's that I've told you about." Itachi muttered, and Kisame's eyes widened. "Why? Why the Black Ops? Why were they sent? Usually, situations like that usually called for Akatsuki or Rendoku! _Not _the Black Ops!" Itachi snarled at Kisame. "Do you know of this?" Kisame shook his head quickly. "Why…?" He whispered, glaring at the ground. "I'm starting to think that Ragnarok and Baled are right about ANBU all along."

Kisame sighed.

Two days ago, Itachi had returned to ANBU headquarters in a furious temper and had gone straight to Tsunade's office with his katana in hand, ready to take her head off. He would actually have succeeded if it weren't for the fact that nearly the entire Akatsuki have felt their captain's killer intent, and had subdued him. Tsunade had then ordered him to be thrown into the first level jail cell because of his status and his ability level, not to mention the committed offence.

"The others agree with you on that." Kisame muttered, and Itachi looked up at him in surprise. "Nagato and Deidara both got suspicious when you tried attacking Tsunade-sama because of a 'raid' on Baled's Lake Ogura's base, and they both investigated that matter secretly. One of Nagato's informants told him about a rumour going around the underworld that one of Baled's bases was wiped out by ANBU Black Ops. It is unlike anything that they have ever seen before." Kisame sighed. "Make no mistake, Itachi, the entire underworld is furious. ANBU has done something that not even the most hardened criminal or terrorist in the underworld would do. Baled is pissed off as well. And from what I heard from Nagato, Ragnarok is even more so. They would probably be tearing ANBU headquarters down by now if it wasn't due to the fact that they're helping Baled with what had happened."

Kisame then lowered his voice. "The others are trying to figure out a way to get you out of here. With what you'd done, I'm very surprised that Tsunade-sama didn't immediately demand your execution. But it's only a matter of time. Rendoku is trying to keep the fact that you are imprisoned from Sasuke. But it is only a matter of time before he found out." Kisame then glanced over his shoulder. "Alright. I have to go. Just sit tight, Itachi. We'll get you out of here soon enough."

**

* * *

**

It was nearly midnight when Itachi was nearly nodding off in his cell. He had gone two days straight without food, as he had all but threw the trays of food at the terrified guard that had brought them. In fact, Itachi is more worried about Baled and Shiki, and what she must think. He knew that Shiki must be extremely furious, and he wouldn't be surprised if she wanted him dead. From his point of view, she has every right to do so.

The sounds of someone shooting the locks of the door of his cell startled him awake just then, and he glanced up only to see the door opening with a creak, with a nonchalant Namikaze Shiki standing at the doorway. Behind her, Itachi could see the unconscious guard slumped to the ground.

The redhead then raised her left hand that is currently wrapped around a gun and fired four shots – breaking the chains binding Itachi's limbs to the chair. The Uchiha stood up on shaky legs and stared at Shiki. "Shiki, why—"

"Kisame told me about it." Shiki answered, cutting him off. "Come."

Itachi nodded before he headed out of the cell before Shiki garnered some energy in her hand and tossed it at the walls, creating an enormous explosion, and causing the entire building to shake.

Shiki studied the words on the wall that was created due to her last move: _'The Revolution has begun. Sinners, be warned and beware. You are next.'_

The redhead then turned and left.

The war is at hand.

**XXXXXX**

Shiki had all but forced Itachi onto her motorcycle before speeding away from ANBU headquarters, and Itachi was nearly scared of the speed that she was going, and wondered if Shiki had done something to her bike for it to be able to reach that level of speed.

Shiki was silent throughout the entire journey, and for once, Itachi had wizened up and said nothing until they reached Hiraiko, stopping outside Cat's Eye. Shiki glanced at Itachi over her shoulder, and the Uchiha got the message by getting off her bike, and the redhead then followed suit.

"I got a question for you," said Shiki darkly, glaring at Itachi. "Did you tip the ANBU off?"

Itachi hesitated before biting on his lip. "Yes."

The sound of the slap that resounded throughout the air caused his head to jerk back, and he looked at Shiki who looked absolutely furious with him. "I knew it," she muttered. "Do you know how many people have died that day? Their blood is on your hands!"

"I…I didn't mean to…!" Itachi protested. "I thought at first that the Akatsuki or Rendoku would be sent out. We are usually sent out for missions like that. I didn't think that the Black Ops…" He paused. "Just…kill me, Shiki. I know that it's my fault. I…"

"Raise your head and look at me, Uchiha Itachi." Shiki commanded harshly, and Itachi looked at her with surprised eyes. "You don't get to die." She stated. "You can be cruel as an ANBU, but I can be even more so. I'll make you withstand the punishment. You are now a traitor to the ANBU. I want you to be the one to fight against your once comrades, protecting the comrades and friends of the very people whom you have caused the deaths of. I want you to realise that you will be the reason why ANBU will be swooping down on Baled like bees to honey. I want you to accept your punishment like the man that you are." Shiki took one step forward and grabbed him by his collar, yanking him forward. "Furthermore, I was the one to save your life! You don't get to die unless I say so!"

"Fine…" Itachi muttered. "What do you want me to do now?"

"I can't bring you to Ragnarok or even Baled." Shiki answered, releasing her hold on Itachi. "They're both furious, especially Sai and Sumaru. It didn't take them long to figure out that you're the one who tipped the ANBU off about the whereabouts of their base. Shino and Yugito are now helping them to find a location for another base. If I bring you to either Ragnarok or Baled, they'll kill you themselves even before you took half-a-step in. No. I'm taking you to Iruka. He'll take care of you."

Itachi nodded, feeling very subdued and drained because of the events from the past few days. "…Alright."

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Lake Ogura, Japan_

It was nearly two in the morning when Shiki had returned to Lake Ogura, and had stepped foot into the boathouse. All of Ragnarok had decided to dock there for the time being as they assisted Baled with the moving to another base once Shino had located a suitable place.

The boathouse was extremely silent, as all of Ragnarok were probably all asleep, and as such, Shiki was surprised to see Temari waiting for her, sitting on the couch. "Temari?"

Temari managed a small smile at Shiki as the redhead entered. "Can we talk?"

Shiki frowned. "What is it?"

Temari fidgeted and toed the carpet beneath her with her toe. "There's…something that I need to do…for Kankuro's sake," she said at last, looking up to meet Shiki's eyes. "For everyone as well."

Shiki narrowed her eyes slightly. "…is it for revenge?" she asked at last.

Temari didn't speak for a long time as she looked out of the window at the dark skies and the dark waters of the lake before she turned back towards Shiki again. "I don't know," she admitted at last. "Shiki. I need a favour from you."

* * *

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_It's starting. And it can no longer be stopped."_

"_Blood can only be washed away by blood."_

"_If you had even an ounce of Itachi's honour, I would have at least spared your life."_

"_Fools we might be, but we'll see it right to the end."_

"_Ragnarok doesn't give second chances."_


	30. The Reckoning

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Thirty: The Reckoning**

_Mist's Headquarters  
__Unknown Location_

The underworld mercenary group Mist had a reputation equivalent to the ANBU in the underworld, and they are like the 'police force' of the underworld as well, though the only difference being that they only stepped in when things are spinning out of control.

Mist are made up of seven of the greatest fighters, with one leader among them, and with the end of the war over a decade ago, their members have dwindled down to three, which resulted in the new leader of Mist, Mei Terumi, rebuilding their forces back up. As Mist held considerable influence with several villages and towns of Japan thanks to their assistance with the rebuilding, after the war, Mist was then given a seat on the High Council, a great honour, as it also serves as a chance for them to get their opinions spoken out, and a chance for them to change things with regards to certain towns and villages as well as the underworld.

As such, this is why Mei Terumi, the first female leader of the Mist in history had a most surprising visitor that day by none other than the infamous leader of Ragnarok, Namikaze Shiki, the leader of the very organisation that ANBU have been after like a shark after blood for the past five years.

"I see. ANBU Black Ops, huh?" Mei mused, seated behind her desk with her fingers curled together before her mouth. She glanced at the younger redhead sitting opposite her, and even though Namikaze Shiki is the master of masks, Mei Terumi knew her well enough to see that she is obviously very upset and furious with the ANBU. And probably, she is furious with herself as well. "It's true that the ANBU's movements and actions have been getting worse of late. It is like they do not care who and what they sacrifice, as long as they attain their objective. It won't be long before the High Council steps in, as they won't be able to cover it up for long."

Shiki sighed, rubbing her temples to ease her headache. "Baled is in an uproar," she informed the older woman. "Apparently, they all decided that they had enough. The base at Lake Ogura is the third one wiped out by ANBU Blacks Ops, and Lake Ogura's base wasn't a _complete_ wipe out because Ragnarok made it there as the attack was happening to prevent the worst from happening. Baled had been staying quiet for the past year or so ever since ANBU Black Ops is coming down on us like a hawk after a tasty morsel, but with Sumaru and Sai both being at Lake Ogura when it nearly went up in flames, and the fact that they've both narrowly escaped with their lives, well…" Shiki shrugged one shoulder. "Baled is pissed off. So is Ragnarok. It took Sumaru everything that he had to convince his comrades to _not _hunt down the ANBU! We don't need another civil war on our hands. It's the same for my side as well. Though the fact that we're currently helping Baled to rebuild and find another base helps in that, as they're too busy to think of anything else."

Mei sighed. "Shiki, to be honest, I think this is going to blow up into another civil war sooner or later," she said wearily. "With how ANBU is acting lately, the underworld isn't staying silent as well. With that latest stunt pulled on Baled, they are all furious. Not even the most hardened criminal and terrorist will do something like that. Make no mistake; they are all just itching for an excuse to hunt the ANBU down. I do think that this is the first time that I ever saw them all so united before."

"I've been hearing rumours from Arashi and Iruka as well." Shiki stated with a sigh. "They said that the informants' circle aren't happy as well. I think it all started when an ANBU had killed Sasame by mistake. The informants' circle is a very tight group. I'm not surprised that they acted that way. But from what I heard, none of the informants are responding to any ANBU's calls for about six months now."

Mei raised an eyebrow. "I guess that explains why the ANBU had been acting this way…" she mused. "They are probably trying to get the underworld back under their control." She snorted. "Like we were theirs to control in the first place. We answer to no one!" She muttered. Mei then shook her head. "Anyway, I heard that the High Council has been buzzing with activity as well. It should only be a matter of time before a meeting is called – for the first time in years ever since the war had ended."

Shiki scowled at the mention of the High Council. "High Council, eh?" she muttered. "I don't like those guys in there. If I had it my way, we wouldn't have a ruling council of old farts who hasn't been in battle or even been in the underworld since fuck knows when!"

Mei snorted in amusement. "Pity that you aren't the one to decide how this country is run then," she said. She then shook her head. "Well, with Mist's revival, we'll keep a close eye on the High Council and ANBU for you, seeing as how you lost your ANBU spy. That Kakuzu guy, I think that's his name."

"Yeah, and I'm concerned about his death." Shiki frowned, remembering the awful way in which he had died, though technically, it is Neji who had killed him. "I hope that I'm just thinking too much about things, but the way that he had died…" She trailed off.

Mei sighed. "Well, we'll continue keeping an eye on things. No one apart from you and the rest of those in Mist knew that we're allied with Ragnarok after all." Shiki held up a hand just then, silencing Mei as she turned to look at the closed office door. Mei blinked in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Shiki didn't answer. Instead, she merely stood up and vanished in a blur at the same moment as when the door opened, and an annoyed looking Ao stepped in, a man wearing the messenger uniform of the High Council with him.

"Mei, there is a messenger from the High Council. He demands an audience." Ao stated, though the looks that he gave the man with his one eye told everyone present just what he thought about the man next to him.

Mei nodded before standing up from behind her desk. "What is it?" she asked briskly.

The messenger said nothing for several moments before reaching into his pocket and pulled out an official-looking scroll that bore the official crest of the High Council. "The ANBU Chief, Sarutobi Hizuren-sama, has called for a meeting of the High Council in ten days regarding the Ragnarok affair."

Mei's eye twitched visibly at this as she accepted the scroll and nodded. "Very well," she said. "Standard procedure as usual, I assume?"

"Yes," said the messenger with a nod. "You are not to bring more than two bodyguards with you. The meeting will be at the Intelligence HQ of Wind City."

Mei sighed. "Very well," she said briskly. "Tell Sarutobi-dono that I'll be there."

The messenger then saluted and left the room. Ao followed after him, scowling fiercely the entire time until he had disappeared, closing the door behind him. Several moments of silence reigned after that before Shiki dropped down from the ceiling, wearing a serious look on her face.

"Looks like we've hit the nail on the head," said the younger redhead grimly. "Seems like the High Council isn't staying silent as well."

Mei glanced at the scroll currently clutched in her hand. "That's true."

**XXXXXX**

_Baled Resistance Movement  
__Lake Ogura, Japan_

"Shino has found an appropriate base for you lot," said Shiki, entering the make-shift tent constructed in the now half-destroyed base in Lake Ogura, where Sumaru and Sai are both in there, both of them poring over a map on the table. "It's the only one that we can find that might ensure your safety."

"Where is it?" asked Sumaru with interest.

Shiki hesitated for a few moments before she answered. "It's about five miles west of Eternal Lake, not too far away from the Forbidden Forest – the nin-users' sanctuary," she said. "Not many people go there, so there is little chance that ANBU might stumble upon you, as even the ANBU steer clear of that place. But the downside is that you have to travel at least half-a-day in order to get groceries and stuff at the nearest town. We can help you with that, but we're going to be pretty busy for a few months, so…" She trailed off.

Sumaru nodded. "Don't worry about it," he said. "My people's lives come first and foremost. I'm thankful enough that we managed to find a place where the ANBU won't find us."

Shiki nodded. "Alright. Ragnarok will help you to move. We'll start on it tomorrow."

Sumaru nodded. "Okay," he said. "I'm pretty tired. I'll go and rest for a bit."

Shiki nodded as Sumaru headed out of the tent, and she then turned towards Sai. "I've been doing some asking around, as the informants aren't too happy with ANBU of late," she said. "No news of Yamato yet."

Sai sighed. "I see," he said. He then glanced at Shiki. "I heard from Shino about the High Council meeting."

Shiki's face darkened considerably. "Yeah," she said with a sigh. "Things are picking up now." She then glanced at Sai. "About Yamato, don't give up hope just yet. I don't believe that he is dead until I see his corpse with my own eyes. Besides, I believe that with a strong will, one can even overcome death." She smiled at Sai. "As long as you don't give up and continue to believe, your dreams and wishes can come true, Sai."

Sai smiled weakly. "I guess so," he said. "I guess, after being in so much danger after all these years, it has kind of numbed me now. I can't believe any longer."

Shiki studied Sai for several moments. "Well, I can't say that I don't understand you," she said briskly. "All of us lived through the chaotic era of Hagako during the aftermath of the war, and we saw the terrible things that had happened back then. To us who had lived through that chaotic era of Hagako, life is like a game. You either win or you lose. If you win, you will be able to live to see another day. But if you lose, in the chaotic era back then and even now…it means that you die." She glanced at Sai out of the corner of her eye. "It's that simple."

**XXXXXX**

_Mist's Headquarters  
__Unknown Location_

"Mei, are you ready?" Momochi Zabuza poked his head through the door. "Ao and Choujurou are both ready for you."

"Yeah," said Mei Terumi, standing up from behind her desk, and grasping the long katana that hung in a gray cloth holster on her desk before fastening it across her chest. She is wearing her usual clothing, but had changed her battle dress into something more suitable for a High Council meeting, though still in the same style. "A High Council meeting…" She mused. She then glanced at Zabuza. "Are you sure that you don't want to come with me?"

Zabuza grunted. "No thanks," he said. "For one thing, I never liked those guys, and I won't be able to stop my mouth from running off. And for another thing, that bastard will be there, and I don't think that I will be able to prevent myself from attacking him when _he_ is the sole reason why Mist is in shambles after the war, and Ayumi had died!" He grumbled something beneath his breath. "I wonder how you and Ao can both stand seeing him, let alone being in the same room as him. Choujurou, I can understand, as he isn't part of the original Mist before the end of the war to begin with." Zabuza then sighed and glanced at Mei with concern. "Just be careful. I trust those two to guard you well, but still…" He trailed off.

Mei sighed. "You worry too much. I'll be fine," she said. "I'm leaving headquarters to you whilst I'm out."

Zabuza smirked as she strode past him. "Will do, Leader!" he said in mock salute.

**

* * *

**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Boathouse)  
__Eternal Lake, Japan_

"It should be starting soon. The High Council meeting," said Haku, glancing at all her friends who were all gathered in the sitting room of the boathouse, all crowding around the small portable television currently sitting on the coffee table. The screen of the television showed a whole lot of ANBU agents and even the police standing guard around the Intelligence HQ where the High Council meeting will be held.

Tenten then frowned. "I might be a little behind the times, but who are the members of the High Council again?" she questioned. "From my understanding, there are nine members, right?"

Shino was the one who answered her, being the only one aside from Shiki to be well versed in the political views of their country. "That's right," he said. "Two members from the ANBU – their leaders. One the representative of the underworld, in this case, Mist itself. Three representatives from the north, east and south cluster of Japan – the ones that manned the towns and villages in those districts. Two representatives of the entire political cluster. And the last one is a neutral party. In this case, I think that he's the Head Judge of the courts."

Gaara whistled a low whistle. "Man, all the top shots of the country are in the meeting then," he said. He then frowned. "I hope that no one is crazy enough to attack the meeting. I don't mind Mei so much, but I don't like the others. And even as much as I do not like them, our country simply isn't ready for another war, especially since we're still recovering from the last one." He glanced around. "If another major war breaks out with another country, it might just be the end of Japan."

"Well, I don't think that anything bad is going to happen," said Hinata reassuringly. "Let's watch and see what happens."

**

* * *

**

_High Council Chambers  
__Intelligence HQ, Wind City_

"Announcing, the arrivals of the head of the Mist mercenary group, Mei Terumi and her guards."

The eight people already in the meeting chamber that is really a circular table set in the middle with platforms on the second level of the chambers for their individual guards to stand behind them, looked up. They have all heard of Mist's reformation and comeback, and were thus, surprised to see that the new head of the Mist's mercenary group that had a rather fearsome reputation turned out to be a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties, wearing a dark blue dress that showed the smooth skin on her shoulders, with a lock of red hair covering one eye.

"Ah, Mei-san!" Mifune, the person leading the meeting stood up. "I hope that you've managed to find this place with no problems."

"Not at all. Your directions are extremely clear, Mifune-san," said Mei with a smile. "Please excuse my tardiness." She then walked towards the sole empty chair at the circular table whilst both Ao and Choujurou went behind the partition for the guards.

The redheaded woman then ran her eyes over the other members of the High Council. There were the two ANBU representatives – Sarutobi Hizuren and Senju Tsunade. The three representatives from the north, east and south cluster of Japan – Onoki, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu. The person leading the meeting, a neutral party, the Head Judge of the courts of law – Mifune. And… Mei scowled as she laid eyes on one of the two people who were the representatives of the entire political cluster; A and Yagura.

'_That bastard…!' _Mei Terumi narrowed her eyes dangerously at a smirking Yagura. _'He indirectly caused the deaths of Minato and the rest, along with the near destruction of Mist, that had it not been for Zabuza, Ao and myself, along with Ragnarok's assistance, it would be the end of us! And he dared to act all high and mighty now?'_

"With that." Mifune cleared his throat. "Let's begin the meeting now."

"But before that, I would like to say something first," said Mei, cracking one eye opened. "We have been content to leave Ragnarok alone for years. Why act now, Sarutobi-dono?" She glanced at Sarutobi Hizuren.

The ANBU Chief said nothing for several moments before he answered. "This matter has been going out of hand. Baled as well," he stated. "If this goes on, we might as well hand the running of the entire country over to them! Furthermore, with one of my top ANBU captains defecting, we can stay quiet no longer."

Mei twitched. "Then maybe you shouldn't have deployed the Black Ops in the first place!" she snapped.

"Mei-san." Onoki interrupted before an argument can break out. "From my understanding, the underworld had been acting strangely of late, and even several of the informants that used to work for me had been ignoring my calls as well. You as the representative of them should know their reasons. Would you care to answer them?"

"After the last stunt pulled by the ANBU, the informants are furious. As is the entire underworld." Mei stated, glaring at Tsunade and Sarutobi. "What I can say is this: they won't stay quiet for long if the ANBU continued the way that they are going. The informants that used to work for the ANBU are in fact now passing on information about them to their enemies. So if I am you, I would choose my decisions wisely." Mei smirked. "Information is a powerful tool. They can destroy the ANBU with this."

Tsunade and Sarutobi went pale.

A snorted. "They are nothing but terrorists and murderers." The dark skinned man stated. "They dared defy the law, and thus, they must pay the price for it."

Up on the platform, Ao frowned. "This isn't going well," he muttered, and Choujurou nodded.

Mei scowled. "Be my guest and go ahead, and you'll have a civil war on your hands," she stated, and the eight High Council members blinked. "I don't think that you're too old to realise the fact that nearly the entire underworld respected Ragnarok and their ideals. At the beginning, it started as a begrudging respect, but as time went on, it soon became true respect. And probably, a quarter of the public is the same as well."

"They're not the law." Yagura stated, and Mei's eyes narrowed.

"Fine. Then let me ask you a question then." Mei stated, standing up from behind the table. "All of you… When did you forsake yourselves?" The surrounding people blinked in confusion. "If this country is as good as what you've claimed, then do you seriously think that Ragnarok will do what they did? That Baled will do what they did? That the underworld would even band together and turn against you in the first place?" Mei looked from one face to another. "I might be the leader of Mist, but even so, I do not interfere with the business of the underworld unless otherwise. That is our law."

"They're nin-users after all." Onoki uttered, closing his eyes briefly. "Even you know what that means. They fall under the nin-user charter: no nin-user is allowed to walk free without surveillance from the ANBU."

Mei felt her blood boil at this; now she understood why Zabuza didn't want to come with her. She is the most patient of their lot, but even this bunch of old farts is really trying her patience! Mist had worked with nin-users during the war, and they respected their power. The sole reason why Mist and the underworld had never liked the ANBU and the High Council is because of the fact that they always treated the nin-users as tools to be used and to be discarded once they've fulfilled their purpose.

"Let me ask you another question then," said Mei coldly. "No, let me put some facts out for you. Whose fault do you think it is that Ragnarok will do what they did? Is it not true that you bunch of idiots tried to suppress and control the nin-users of the country, causing them to suffer a Hell worse than anything that I've ever seen during the war, and trust me, I've seen a lot. I am not surprised that Ragnarok snapped and decided to do something about that. The more powerful a nin-user is, the more the suppression that they'll be under." Mei looked at them coldly. "You people created that evil in them. You people _forced_ them to be what they are. In the end, the situation is one that _you _created! So don't you dare say that you had nothing to do with it! Don't you dare say that they deserved it! They never chose to be a nin-user! The only thing that they chose is the type of path that they walked, and then again, they never had a choice as well! You people _forced _them to this! And you dare claim that they're evil? _You make me sick!"_

**XXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters' Archives Library  
__Leaf City, Japan_

Shiki flipped through a couple of files and folders in this part of the archives' library where the ANBU kept all their records. It wasn't too difficult for someone of her calibre to sneak into ANBU headquarters, especially considering the fact that nearly half of the ANBU forces were sent to Wind City to guard the Intelligence HQ.

Shiki's eyes narrowed as she read through the records with the help of a flashlight that she had with her. _'I knew it…' _she thought. _'Those five… Damn them to Hell.' _She closed the record book that she had been looking through. "I'll make them pay for their sins. I swear it."

**XXXXXX**

_High Council Chambers  
__Intelligence HQ, Wind City_

"Damn, Mei, you sure had some guts!" Ao muttered to Mei an hour later as the meeting was dismissed. "My legs are still shaking! Those guys are the High Council after all. Is it wise to aggravate them like this?"

"Well, I don't care. Someone has to tell them to their face what majority of us think of them." Mei huffed. "But never mind that." She glanced at Ao. "Send a message to Shiki. Tell them to be on their guard. Baled as well." She frowned. "I don't like the feeling that I got. Something is going to happen soon."

Ao nodded. "Okay."

**XXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye Café  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

Uchiha Itachi stared fearlessly at the barrel of a gun currently held in the hand of an emotionless looking Sai.

"Sai, stop it!" Iruka tried to stop the teen. "He's—"

"I want some answers, Iruka," said Sai, and he then turned towards Itachi. "How much longer are you going to torture Shiki? She never said anything, but I can tell! You are the source of her agony." Itachi's eyes widened. "Set her free! From the start, Shiki had always hesitated going after the ANBU because of the coward that I see in front of me now! And she knew what it cost her! Riku. Sara. Suigetsu. Kankuro. Sasame. She blamed herself for their deaths. Throughout all these years, she has already lost too many comrades and friends to the ANBU and the stupidity of the High Council and the world! Can you blame her for wanting to change this world?"

Itachi said nothing for several moments. "The world is peaceful before Ragnarok…before Baled," he said. "Why are you people instigating conflicts? Do you want another war?"

Sai scowled. "Then it's all right if just your world is peaceful?" he stated, and Itachi jerked back as if slapped. "You've naïve. So naïve that you _make me sick!" _Sai spat. "See the real world with your own eyes, and stop living in your little black and white world! I'll never know what Shiki sees in you, and I don't care to find out. Even from back then, Shiki never gave up. Right until the end, she never gave up. That's why all of us follow her. Even to death if necessary. And I'll give you two choices here now. You can either help us with our goal to change the world, or you can just disappear and leave her to someone more worthy." He narrowed his eyes. "You're treading on very thin ice with us as it is. And I know Shiki. She'll throw her own heart and feelings away if it meant that she has to protect her friends and comrades. Besides, war is going to break out soon between the ANBU and us. We'll change the world. Even if we have to break this world to do so."

**XXXXXX**

_Baled Resistance Movement  
__Shinjuku, Japan_

"It's ready." Fuu chirped, dragging Shiki by the wrist to where the submarine-cum-plane stood waiting. "We heard about it from Sumaru and Sai. That's why we rushed it out."

Shiki smiled as she eyed the new mother ship of Ragnarok. Utakata even had the foresight to add in Ragnarok's symbol on the side. "It looks wonderful," she said, and Fuu beamed. "And you both finished this just in time too." Fuu looked confused at that. "We're about to launch an attack against ANBU headquarters soon." Shiki glanced at Fuu. "We decided that we've had quite enough. And Mei told me what had gone on during the meeting as well. The others are definitely not happy."

Fuu nodded slowly. "So what are you going to name this?" she asked.

Shiki thought for a few moments before she got the perfect name in mind. "Exilia," she stated.

Fuu smiled. "Exilia, huh? Short for Executor." She laughed. "Perfect for Ragnarok. Nice naming."

Shiki smiled.

**XXXXXX**

_Baled Resistance Movement  
__Eternal Lake, Japan_

"So it begins then." Sumaru stated that night as he, Sai, Shiki, Gaara and Haku stood around a table on which a map of Leaf City was spread across. "With this…" He glanced around at the four other solemn faces. "There is no going back."

"Well, Fuu and Utakata finished the mother ship for us just in time," said Shiki, a slight smirk tugging at the ends of her lips. "The plans that Fuu had first drawn up of the mother ship are meant for siege attacks like this in the first place. And even if it isn't ready, I have another plan in mind, only more risky. Thus, both of them finishing that ship way before schedule is an added bonus."

A knowing smirk spread across the faces of both Sai and Sumaru whilst confused looks appeared on the faces of Gaara and Haku. The veteran members of Blade knew just what Shiki is capable of when it comes to tactical warfare and battle strategy. She is the one that had led all those battles and fights back during their days in Blade. That also explains just how Ragnarok had managed to outwit and outsmart ANBU countless times for the past five years.

"So, any plans?" Sai asked.

"Yeah, we're lucky here," said Shiki with a mischievous grin, tapping her index finger against the center of the map, and everyone leaned in closer to look. "Leaf City is the capital city of Japan ever since ANBU headquarters had moved their location to Leaf City after the last war had practically demolished their headquarters in Wind City. Because of their experience with the war, the new ANBU leaders decided to build their headquarters near the sea in case of attacks, in which they would be able to respond faster, and they would also not endanger the civilians. This time, they've helped us out."

Confused looks appeared on the faces of Sai and Sumaru, but Haku and Gaara seemed to have an idea what Shiki had been planning, and they exchanged grins.

Upon seeing the confused looks on the faces of Sai and Sumaru, Shiki sighed and decided to explain. "Look, you know that Exilia can travel both in the air and underwater, even functioning as a boat of some kind, right?" she questioned, and she got two nods. "I know of ANBU's counter methods, thus, our best way to neutralise their firepower is to submerge the entire headquarters in water. In other words, we're going to launch Exilia into the sea, with the force of the impact practically drowning ANBU headquarters in water!" Shiki looked from face to face. "This time, Ragnarok will be working hand-in-hand together with Baled," she stated. "While we will be attacking from the sea and from the skies, Baled will—"

"We will launch surprise attacks from the ground itself." Sumaru interrupted, an eager look on his face.

Shiki nodded. "The attack at Leaf City serves as a distraction as well," she stated. "The forces stationed at Wind City where the ANBU Chief is at will be called over to Leaf City. In other words, he will be left defenceless for several moments, and whichever team that we would be sending to Wind City wouldn't find much resistance. Our objectives here are simple. We have only one objective here." She put up one finger, a grim smile on her face. "Assassinate the ANBU leaders – Senju Tsunade and Sarutobi Hizuren."

**XXXXXX**

_ANBU Headquarters  
__Leaf City, Japan_

Akatsuki had been feeling rather subdued for weeks now ever since Itachi's 'defection'. Sasuke wasn't too pleased with what he had heard as well, and had sent every single person who had badmouthed his elder brother straight into the hospital with broken bones.

The two ANBU teams of Akatsuki and Rendoku have been getting into trouble for mouthing off against their ANBU commander of late because of Uchiha Itachi as well as the fact that ANBU Black Ops have been sent out frequently of late for elimination missions. It had came to such a point that Tsunade hadn't been assigning any of them missions for weeks now ever since Itachi's defection.

That day was no exception.

It had started off as a quiet and peaceful afternoon for all of ANBU, with Sasuke demolishing some poor training dummy in the training room of ANBU headquarters whilst Kisame is dealing with all the paperwork that Itachi usually dealt with, standing in as interim captain for Akatsuki until a new one could be found. But as it is, of now, Kisame is the best choice for captain.

Japan had been living in peace for the best part of nearly twelve years, unless one counted the civil war that had broken out, and had only ended eight years ago which had wrecked Japan so badly that they're still recovering from it.

Unknown to the ANBU, that peace would end for them today, and depending on the decisions made, just perhaps, someday, the world would burn.

**

* * *

**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Exilia Mother Ship)  
__Somewhere in the Northern Skies_

"Damn, it makes me feel like I'm flying a spaceship or something." Haku was muttering as she steered Exilia.

When Utakata had told Shiki that he had drawn up the plans of Exilia based off of the mother ship that he had saw in his favourite movie, Gundam 00, he wasn't kidding. Two pilots would be manning the navigation controls as well as any protection and attacks that they need to man whilst two other pilots have the job to keep an eye out for any other enemies and such. The mother ship also came equipped with their own dormitories, kitchen and even an infirmary.

The controls are easy to control as well, and Hinata had drawn up a schedule for every member to take turns manning the ship. Neji is a good enough technician, alongside Gaara, as the two have tinkered often enough with their motorbikes and cars, and it is due to them that the speed of those vehicles was almost unbelievable! As such, they do not have to worry about repairs for the mother ship when Utakata had given them a copy of the blueprints of the ship.

As such, all of Ragnarok had happily moved into their 'new home', though feeling quite sad to leave behind their boathouse at the Forbidden Forest that they have been using for the past eight or so years. But they were practical, not suicidal, and they knew that continuing using that boathouse is like putting up a sign with neon lights flashing by the sides, screaming 'We are Ragnarok! Over here! Come and get us!'

"Alright, we're getting in close," said Hinata, the only other pilot for Exilia, as nearly all of Ragnarok were involved in the plan. Shiki would have liked for both of them to join in the operation as well, but someone needs to steer the ship. As they would all be separated, Shiki had issued each of them a communicator, sans for Haku and Hinata as Exilia had communication devices. Hinata then smiled. "A plan like that…" She shook her head. "I can see why Blade is as feared as they said, if Shiki is their leader."

Haku smiled before she flicked several switches on the board that she is sitting in front of, watching as the screens in front of her changed so that they are showing just where they are currently heading. "Exilia, entering phase one of the plan."

Hinata glanced at the radar screen that showed the positions of their comrades. "All Baled and Ragnarok teams in position. The mission will begin at 0043."

A cackle cackled through just then, and Yugito's voice cackled through. _"This is Yugito and Shino. We're in position at Wind City."_

Haku narrowed her eyes. "Nearing the targeted location!" she announced. "Deploying maximum Chakra Shield as soon as we are in position!"

"Releasing the invisibility field!" Hinata announced as she tapped a few buttons. "Deploying missiles!"

**

* * *

**

"What is that?" Akimichi Chouji who had been on guard tower duty at the top level of ANBU headquarters asked, blinking owlishly. "What is that light?"

Nara Shikamaru frowned, cocking his head to one side. "Fireworks?" he mused. He then narrowed his eyes. "No… It's too large for that. Seems to be heading this way." His eyes then widened. "Missiles?"

A loud explosion then rocked the entire ANBU headquarters, along with the earth of the land as three major missiles hit the roof of ANBU headquarters, resulting in a wave of motion throughout the land, seeming as if an earthquake had suddenly struck them without any prior warning.

The emergency alarms of ANBU headquarters immediately started wailing, and all ANBU agents who were still in their dormitories were quick to respond immediately by pulling on their battle gear, ready for battle in a split second, rushing to the viewing bay.

And what they saw stunned them.

An oddly shaped ship that seems to be a mix between a spaceship and a fighter plane was heading towards ANBU headquarters with alarming speed, not slowing in the least. All those with sharp eyes noticed the symbol of Ragnarok on the side, and it soon didn't take the others long to figure out just who is attacking them.

"They're not slowing down at all?" Konan uttered in confusion. Her eyes then widened a slight fraction. "Wait, could they be—"

"Chakra Field, maximum deployment!" Hinata announced, tapping several buttons in no particular order as she did so.

"Exilia, entering into submarine mode!" Haku followed up next, tapping on several buttons. All the onlookers outside were looking on with fascination, alongside with all the Baled and Ragnarok members, as the wings of the ship folded in. "We're entering into the sea!"

There was a major splash and crash as Exilia crashed landed into the sea with a major crash, sending a major tsunami wave up with the impact, with said wave crashing into the headquarters of the ANBU, shattering all the glass windows immediately, and causing the entire headquarters to be half-submerged in seawater.

One of the objectives of this phase had been reached: ANBU can no longer use any of their battle planes and firepower for this battle.

"The enemy ship is moving beneath the water!" One of the ANBU personnel manning Control announced, their fingers moving quickly over the buttons and switches over the board.

Haku breathed heavily in her seat within the water, knowing that they would be safe in here, as there is no way that what little firepower that the ANBU had would be able to reach them, with them being this deep in the water.

"Phase one." Haku uttered through several pants and breaths.

"Cleared." Hinata ended the sentence.

Meanwhile in the viewing bay of ANBU headquarters, Kisame, Nagato and Sasori exchanged looks between them.

So they're here at last.

It had finally begun. The war between the ANBU and the underworld had finally begun.

Ragnarok is here.

* * *

_A/N: I got the final part of this chapter from episode three of the second season of Gundam 00. One of the best shows that I've watched regarding warfare. Anyway, the story is going to pick up from here on out, so be ready for lots of conflict and character deaths._

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_I am your executioner."_

"_I wanted to die to atone for my sins."_

"_I'm glad to see that you remembered me. Long time no see, Senju Tsunade."_

"_You sold out my parents!"_

"_Ragnarok doesn't give second chances."_

"_The game starts now. Let's play."_


	31. Sins of the Past

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Thirty One: Sins of the Past**

Sumaru whistled in appreciation as he watched and heard the alarms of ANBU headquarters ringing like crazy, with the ANBU agents themselves running around like chickens with their heads cut off. "Damn, it really is working," he said.

"Come on, have any of my plans failed you before?" Shiki muttered, glancing towards the sea where she is pleased to see that none of the little firepower that the ANBU has left at their disposal has managed to make it through the water to attack Exilia.

That is good in a way, as Haku and Hinata will both be safe.

A cackle in Shiki's communicator cackled just then, and Gaara's voice echoed into her ear. _"Shiki, me and Temari will be going in."_

Shiki sighed. "Alright. Phase one of the plan, cleared. Entering into phase two."

There were sudden blurs entering ANBU headquarters just then, and the loud screams that followed that could even be heard from where Shiki is spoke tales of whatever that both Ragnarok and Baled are doing to their self-proclaimed nemesis.

"Should we go in?" Sumaru asked glancing at Shiki.

The redhead sighed and nodded. "Guess that we should," she muttered. "Ragnarok, Namikaze—"

_Satochi Riku smiled at her. "Do I have to die again to save you?" he chirped._

Shiki shook her head to clear away that image that had been popping up several times in her nightmares of late ever since the decision to launch a full frontal attack against ANBU was made. _'No! I won't let anything like that happen again!' _She spoke into her communicator again. "Ragnarok, Namikaze. Going in."

**XXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye Café  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

Uchiha Itachi blinked and looked up from where he had been trying to glare holes at the tabletop of the counter that he had been sitting at when a cup of tea entered in his visage. A smiling Umino Iruka was standing in front of him, a knowing look on his face.

"Iruka-san?"

"It's lavender tea," said Iruka matter-of-factly. "Helps to calm the nerves. I used to take it all the time back in high school during examination period."

"Thanks." Itachi muttered as he stirred the contents of the teacup three times before lifting the cup to his lips, blowing on the contents gently to cool it down.

"Are you worried?" Iruka asked knowingly. "About Shiki?"

Itachi was silent for several moments before he answered. "I would be lying if I said that I wasn't," he admitted. "When the Black Ops have started creating quite a spill, with the underworld in an uproar, I guess that it is only a matter of time before Ragnarok and Baled decided to take matters into their own hands."

Iruka was silent before he spoke again. "I won't lie to you, Itachi," he said solemnly, and Itachi looked up with surprise. "I am on Shiki's side. She isn't only doing this for one or two years. She has been at this ever since she was eight or so – when she had first left Hagako. She has been at this for nearly _nine years. _She and her little group knew practically every secret about this country, and what it just needs. I trust in her. I believe that she can create a better world for us. The fighting is unavoidable. But I believe that Shiki knew what she is doing. She hasn't been a child for a long time. Just like all the others with her." Itachi was silent. "In the beginning, the underworld was sceptical about her claims, and about the ideals that she is working for. But gradually, she won them over. And with the Black Ops' actions recently, the entire underworld is now standing behind her – a first in history. Everyone trusted her. That is why she and Ragnarok can escape from ANBU's clutches every single time. You don't just use power and might for your plans and to rule over people, Itachi. You need people's trust and help as well. Shiki has that in spades. Everyone trusted and believed in her." Iruka raised an eyebrow at Itachi. "What about you? Do you believe her?" Itachi nodded. "Why?"

Itachi was silent for a long time. "When I first knew that she is Ragnarok's leader, I was…shocked," he admitted. "It took me over a year before I understood why she did what she did. And even then, there is a part of me that believed that she got close to me because of my status as an ANBU." Iruka frowned. "But then, the fire incident changed all of that."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Fire incident?"

Itachi nodded hesitantly. "I…tried to kill myself," he admitted, and Iruka narrowed his eyes. "I tried to kill myself, tried to end my own life, after I had unwittingly led nearly eighty people to their deaths just because of the commander's order. Shiki was _so _mad at me back then that she is nearly spitting fire."

Iruka realised what incident that Itachi is talking about just then. "The incident at the TV station months ago," he realised. "Gaara spoke about it to me."

Itachi snorted. "He would," he said, vaguely recalling the redhead who had glared at him so fiercely during one of ANBU's encounters with Ragnarok that he is surprised that Hell hadn't frozen over. Shiki had spoken of that redhead briefly. Gaara had been one of Ragnarok's best, second only to her. "I wasn't exactly rated high in their good books." He sighed, and Iruka's lips twitched in amusement at this. He knew how Ragnarok had viewed Itachi after all, apart from their leader that is. Gaara and Haku didn't exactly keep it quiet around him. Even Sumaru and Sai aren't exactly fond of Itachi, but they held their tongues in respect for Shiki. "After over eighty people died because of my ego, I…I just couldn't take it anymore." Itachi admitted. "I wanted to die to atone for my sins." Itachi closed his eyes. "But then…Shiki stopped me."

"_This cursed power… The one that even my own parents feared…" A tear dropped from Itachi's eye. "I shall end it with me." He closed his eyes, and a light vortex of flames started swirling around him. "Disappear…Uchiha Itachi."_

_And a large vortex of flames then went up around him._

"_**Itachi!"**_

_A voice that Itachi never thought that he'll hear reaches his ears just then, and he turned only to see Shiki leaping through the flames and hugging him around the waist from behind, despite the flames, despite the flames licking at her skins, obviously hurting her._

_Itachi's eyes widened at that. _'No…'

"_Let go of me!" Itachi tried to pried Shiki's hold on him. "You'll get burned too!"_

"_I won't let go!" Shiki shook her head frantically. "If you do this, we can't ever be together again!" Itachi's eyes widened at that, and Shiki tightened her hold around him. "If you still want to die, take me with you!"_

Iruka was silent as he listened to Itachi relate this tale to him.

"Back then, the one who had pulled me out of that fire is Shiki, giving her the indelible scars that she now bore as a result." Itachi muttered. "Scars that not even those two healers in her group were able to heal. I was able to choose life because of her." Itachi clenched his hands into fists on the tabletop. "It could only have been her." He whispered. "She is the reason why I'm still alive now. Yet… Yet I actually hurt her again and again. I'm the worst."

**XXXXXX**

_High Council Quarters  
__Wind City_

Sarutobi Hizuren paused in his current task of reading over some paperwork as the sounds of shuffling footsteps made him turn around to face the door. There wasn't even a single sound to be heard before the door slowly swung opened, revealing a creamy blond haired girl in her late teens standing at the opened doorway, a nonchalant look on her face.

Sarutobi frowned. "Who are you? How did you get past my guards?"

"Your guards? Those idiots outside?" The girl raised an eyebrow. "Well, let's just say that they're being treated to a nice nap." Sarutobi's eyes widened. "When they refused to let me through, I find it fit to send them straight into dreamland." The girl smirked. "Treasure the few moments that you have left. Because I see your future. And your future…is death!"

Sarutobi stiffened just then as he sensed a presence standing behind him – how the hell did they get behind him? – and felt the cold steel of a blade resting at his throat. As he turned his head slightly, he saw the visage of a teenage boy in his late teens wearing a dark coat with sunglasses on over his eyes, a murderous expression on his face.

"W-Who are you people?" Sarutobi croaked.

"Ragnarok," said the girl, stepping into the room. "You see, us and the entire underworld decided that we had enough of ANBU and their cowardly ways of doing things. Our leader has reached the last limits of her patience as well. This is a declaration of war on ANBU. And our first course of action is to assassinate the leaders of the disease in this country. You are the ones that had caused Japan to be in this pitiful state that they are now in." Nii Yugito hissed. "Now pay your dues."

Sarutobi wasn't able to say anything as his throat was slit, and he collapsed in a heap to the ground, blood bubbling out of his slit throat and struggling to breathe, but to no avail. In a matter of moments, he was dead.

Yugito stepped over to Shino, glancing over at the dead body on the ground as the insect user cleaned his blade calmly. "Have you taken your revenge, Shino?" Yugito asked quietly.

Shino glanced over at Yugito and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for this," he said. "I know that you want to kill him too."

Yugito shook her head. "Nah. I know that you can inflict more pain on him than I could with my powers," she said. The blonde then sighed. "How fairs the heart?"

Shino was silent for several moments. "The same as always. But with his death and with the declaration of the war, it is a little easier to live." He admitted. He then looked out of the window. "I wonder…if Shiki and the others are managing?"

**XXXXXX**

_Cat's Eye Café  
__Hiraiko, Japan_

A loud explosion was all that could be heard as the front doors of the Cat's Eye café was blown off the hinges, causing it to crash somewhere in the café-cum-bar itself. The five black masked individuals – ANBU Black Ops' agents – had their hands on dangerous looking guns as they stepped into the obviously empty café.

That is their mistake.

The next moment, all five of them were swung into midair with thin invisible wires that stretched all over the café rather like a spider web.

"Man, Itachi sure is popular." Mitarashi Anko sighed as she stepped out, dressed in her tan coat, resting the blade of a tanto against her shoulder. "Shiki is going to owe us one for this."

"You ANBUs are going to pay for the broken door." Umino Iruka stated, a twitch visible in his eyebrow, as he was also dressed for combat, a katana in one hand. "I see that Shiki isn't kidding when she said that the ANBU won't care who they kill – civilian or otherwise, as long as they attain their objective."

"It's alright, isn't it?" Anko asked, a sadistic grin on her face. "It's been awhile since I have to do this." She then turned towards the currently airborne ANBUs. "If you're looking for Itachi, then you're just wasting your time. He isn't here. The leader of Ragnarok knew that you'll come after him, and had us to hide him away. We'll be your opponents instead."

"W-Who are you people?" One of the ANBUs croaked.

"Your executioner." Iruka stated. "They don't call me the Killer Dolphin for nothing during the time of the war." He narrowed his eyes dangerously. "One of the most famed assassins during the time of the war!"

**XXXXXX**

Loud grunts could be heard as about ten unknown ANBU agents – rookies perhaps – fell to the ground like a couple of dominoes. Shiki sighed as she retracted back her palm where she had dealt a direct hit to the chest area – knocking them out effortlessly.

Less than ten steps away from her, Sai and Sumaru were standing back-to-back with each other, a pair of guns and swords in their hands respectively. And judging by the sounds of rapid gunfire and the screams every now and then, the siege performed on ANBU headquarters by Baled and Ragnarok is going smoothly…thus far.

"Were they always this weak?" Sumaru deadpanned, cleaning the blood off his swords. "It makes me feel ashamed to ever be afraid of them when we were kids."

Shiki sighed, turning her head over her shoulder to glance in the direction of the two boys. "We haven't faced their top cards yet. And Utakata and Fuu's squad are facing the Black Ops' squadron – or whatever that was left of them that are here. Don't let your guard down."

A loud explosion somewhere in one of the higher levels of ANBU headquarters reached their ears just then, and light debris and rubble rained down around their ears. Shiki, Sumaru and Sai looked towards the ceiling, startled.

"What the hell was that?" Sai questioned.

Shiki narrowed her eyes. _'Temari…' _"I'm leaving this place to you. I'm going in."

* * *

"You bastards killed my brother…!" Sabaku no Temari growled, a furious and wild wind picking up around her, shredding everything that even came near her like tissue paper. "You people want our power, don't you? This is more than you can handle!"

"W-What the hell is this?" Tenten shouted, shielding her face from the wild wind that is comparable to that of a mini tornado indoors. She had seen Temari using her power more than once, but this is the first time that she had seen Temari doing something like this. But this feeling… "What is this feeling? It feels…almost evil!"

Neji almost shivered. He had only felt this only once. All those years back when he, along with Shiki and Hinata have saved Temari and her brothers from Amachi in the town of Hiraiko all those years back.

'_Mutation…' _Neji realised. _'Just like Kankuro back then…' _He gulped. _'This isn't good!'_

"Temari, stop it!" Gaara shouted to his sister, also shielding his face from the strong wind. A few ANBU agents that were too eager to kill at least one of their attackers rushed towards Temari, and ended up getting sliced up like swish kebab for their troubles, killing them instantly. "You'll die if you use that!"

"I don't care!" Temari screamed, glaring a look of full hatred at the teams of Akatsuki and Rendoku, as well as Senju Tsunade that were currently standing in front of them. "Even if I have to die…" Temari narrowed her eyes as the wind grew stronger, causing several holes to be blown in the ceilings and walls. Gaara wisely covered himself and his comrades with a shelter of sand. "…I'm taking you bastards with me!"

"Oh shit—!" Deidara yelped, hanging onto a nearby door with dear life, trying very hard not to get himself blown into Temari's direction. "Kisame! Nagato! Do something!"

"What the hell makes you think that I can do anything?" Kisame screamed back, actually sticking his sword into the ground as far as he could go, and hanging onto it with dear life. Nagato didn't even bother to bite back a response. He is utilising his telekinetic powers with full force to prevent himself from getting blown off his feet.

The wind grew stronger just then, and Sasuke gulped. "Oh shit—!" he yelped as he was blown off his feet, only to get grabbed by the back of his collar by Shikamaru who was standing next to him, who in turn was grabbed by Kiba, who was grabbed by Lee, and who was grabbed by Chouji who was grabbing onto a door with his other hand. The remaining Rendoku agents – two who were killed by Ragnarok sometime in the last year, made quite a picture to anyone watching. But at this point in time, none of them cared.

Temari glared, and is it Kisame's imagination, but were her eyes _glowing?_

"Temari, stop it!" Tenten called out to her rival and best friend. "Kankuro wouldn't want you to throw your life away like this to kill his murderers! He wouldn't want to see such a look on your face! And what about Gaara?"

"I don't care!" Temari screamed. "Die—"

All Ragnarok and ANBU agents present blinked in confusion just then. One moment, Temari was on the verge of killing all ANBU agents and herself along with it, with that extremely dangerous wind circulating around her that is also cutting herself up. And the next moment, she was slumped unconscious over Shiki's arm, the redhead whose left hand was pulsing with a soft blue light, indicating that she had been the one to dispel that dangerous wind.

"Shiki!"

Shiki threw an unconscious Temari to a bewildered Neji. "Neji, get Temari and get out of here. Go!"

Neji nodded. "You've got it," he said before he turned and left with an unconscious Temari in his arms.

Kiba growled. "You're not getting away!" he growled, only to pause in his step the next moment as a light webbing crisscrossed all over the room…or half demolished hallway that they are now in. The Akatsuki could sense a strange power emanating from them, and had more than enough sense to _not _touch that webbing.

'_There it is!' _Gaara mused, glancing at the 'web'. _'Shiki's power!' _He glanced at their leader who doesn't look happy with the ANBUs, and who was glaring at the ANBU commander in particular.

"You know, I've had quite enough of you ANBU bastards." Shiki stated, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "You ANBU trampled upon the nin-users of this land and enslaved us for too long now. If you think that I will stay silent after everything that you have done, then you've got another thing coming, especially after you've deployed the Black Ops to destroy those villages, and when you've got the guts to kill my friends!"

Tsunade fought hard to prevent herself from taking a step backwards as a massive _killing aura _swept over them. A few had all but fainted from that killing aura, like Lee and Kiba, and the ones that remained conscious were barely standing, sans for the Akatsuki.

"You must be Ragnarok's captain, also otherwise known as Twila." Tsunade stated more than questioned, a slight quaver in her voice at the power that she could feel emanating from this girl.

Not good.

No wonder she is the leader of the most notorious assassination group in history, and no ANBU has been able to capture them for the past five years. And why she was able to band Baled and the underworld together around her. Her power isn't to be sneezed at.

Shiki's eye twitched dangerously at this, and Tenten glanced at Shiki nervously. _'Is she planning to fight?' _she thought. _'Not good.' _She exchanged nervous looks with Gaara. _'Shiki looks __**pissed **__off. And if she is planning to fight…'_ Tenten gulped. _'Then she isn't going to stay her hand. ANBU headquarters might even come down around our heads at the end of it! Then…' _Tenten's face took on a determined look as she pulled out two daggers from the pouches around her waist, but Gaara stepped up next to Shiki, not taking his eyes off of the ANBUs.

"Tenten, I'll act as backup." Gaara stated, sand twisting around his body. "Cover my back."

Tenten nodded. "You've got it."

Shiki sighed, letting out a huff as she did so, before looking straight into Tsunade's eyes. "I really wasn't planning on getting myself involved here, but you leave me with no choice," she said. "When Ragnarok had first started our debut, we weren't planning to get ourselves tangled with the ANBU. That is the only reason why we've left you alone for so long without doing anything." She narrowed her eyes. "And trust me, we can quite easily kill you people. If you and Sarutobi had even an ounce of Itachi and Kankuro's honour, I would have at least spared your pathetic life."

"W-What are you talking about?" Tsunade questioned.

"If you ANBU bastards wanted to play chase, you'd better be prepared as well." Gaara stated, flinging his sand forwards the next moment that had the effect to hit Deidara, Shikamaru and Sasuke all at the same time, easily knocking them out.

"Deidara!"

"Shikamaru! Sasuke!"

"'Hit him three times, and even the Buddha will get mad'." Tenten quoted one of her late father's favourite sayings. "Honestly, before you ANBU make any movements, you really should have done your research. I thought that you of all people should have learnt that from your experience in the last war." Tenten mocked Tsunade who frowned.

"The last war?" Tsunade echoed. "You kids are a little too young to be in the last war."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "I wasn't talking about the war that you idiots had with that country-what's-their-name," she said. "I was talking about the civil war." The eyes of all ANBU agents widened, Tsunade included. "The civil war that horrors even exceeded that during the war that the ANBU had with that country-what's-their-name."

Gaara interrupted just then. "Tenten, you speak too much," he said, and he then turned his attention back towards the ANBU. "You killed too many of our comrades for us to stay silent any longer, and then the Black Ops' wipe-out operations… You've gone too far."

"Who…are you?" Tsunade almost whispered.

Shiki narrowed her eyes. "Born for Him. Die for Him. If that is Fate, one cannot disobey," she said, and Tsunade's eyes widened in both horror and realisation. "Travel the unseen road. For what lies there is the end of life. This is God's guidance."

Tsunade's eyes widened in horror, and she let out a gasp.

"_I'm from Sacho." An orange haired boy grunted, eyeing them with suspicion in his eyes. "One brother."_

"_Hisao." Another grunted. "No family."_

"_No idea."_

"…_Hagako." A redhead stated with no emotion in her voice whatsoever, eyeing them with distrust and loathing. "And even if I __**do**__ have family left, I wouldn't be telling __**you."**_

Tsunade remembered that case from nearly ten to thirteen years back. That was one of the most wide-scale kidnapping cases that she had ever worked on prior to her appointment as the ANBU commander. That was back during the civil war, when a series of disappearances had taken place all over the country, with children between the ages of five to thirteen disappearing in a span of two weeks. Nine children were kidnapped, and as far as she remembered, only four of those kids came back alive.

"…_it's a game that they thought up of. The Nonary Game."_

"_They told us that we have nine days to escape."_

"_It's a game where we put our lives on the line."_

Not one of those kids had told them what this 'Nonary Game' was, and until today, that case is still put under the 'Unsolved' column, as no one even knew whom the kidnapper was. The ANBU only had suspicions, and not one of the kids was willing to help them.

"_Why should I tell you? You killed them! You killed them!"_

"_I hate the ANBU!"_

"_I swear to the heavens who had given me only Hell, that someday, I shall have my revenge!"_

"…_Miyuki… Suzuki… Born for Him. Die for Him. If that is Fate, one cannot disobey. Travel the unseen road. For what lies there is the end of life. This…is God's guidance."_

Tsunade let out a light gasp, her eyes widening.

She remembered now. That case was one of the ones that was 'swept under the rug' to prevent the loss of face of the ANBU, and to prevent the civil war from worsening any further. Two of those kids from back then had never really forgiven them, she remembered, as they refuted all attempts of the ANBU to 'take them in', and quite rudely as well. They even said that they'd rather die and starve to death on the streets than to accept the ANBU's help. As far as she knew, those two have died a few years after that. The other two kids who have survived joined the ANBU later on when they were old enough.

"You…" Tsunade said slowly. "You're one of those kids from back then!" Her ANBU agents turned startled eyes towards their commander. "That kidnapping-cum-experimenting case from nearly ten to thirteen years ago!"

Shiki's lips curled into a sneer. "I'm glad to see that you remembered me," she said. "It's been over ten years. Long time no see, Senju Tsunade!"

"Impossible!" Tsunade shook her head. "It can't be! You're supposed to be dead!" That came out more like a denial than an insult.

Shiki rolled her eyes with annoyance. "I don't look dead, do I?" she questioned, ignoring the ANBU agents' nervous looks. "And unfortunately for you, I don't die that easily." Shiki narrowed her eyes as she slid one foot backwards, getting into a strange stance. "And hear this, Senju Tsunade! I bow to _no one! _I take orders from _no one! _I hadn't fallen that low as to be killed by someone by the likes of you!" Tsunade flinched back as if slapped. "I would rather choose death by my own hands than to be killed by someone like you!"

Gaara and Tenten exchanged confused looks. They have never seen Shiki so angry before, and her tone when speaking to that ANBU lady is bordering on outright hatred. Out of all of them, Shiki's past is the only one that is still unknown to them. Not even Sumaru and Sai had known about her past prior to meeting her.

"Now see here, there is nothing that we could do about that from back then!" Tsunade interrupted. "Fine, maybe we could have handled that a bit better, but—"

"_A bit?" _Shiki nearly screeched.

"I-I mean 'a bit' in the nicest way possible." Tsunade said weakly. Judging by the look on Shiki's face, she suddenly realised that maybe she shouldn't have said that.

"Oh really? Fine, let's put that case aside." Shiki growled, glaring daggers and knives and everything that is pointy and sharp at Tsunade. "You and Sarutobi Hizuren… You fuckers, along with the entire High Council sans for the representative from Mist sold out my parents!"

There was silence for a very long time. "…your parents?"

Shiki's eyes narrowed. "Do the names 'Namikaze Minato and 'Uzumaki Kushina' ring any bells?" Shiki growled, and the eyes of Nagato and Konan widened, unnoticed by everyone else. "And do the names Hyuuga Hiashi and Hyuuga Hizashi seems familiar to you?" Gaara looked at her curiously. "And do you remember the names Aburame Shibi, Aburame Shiri, Shisei Ayumi, Nii Kensei and Kinzoku Tessai?"

Tenten paled as she stared at Shiki, wondering just what her father had to do with it. Gaara on the other hand, recognised Haku's last name, alongside Hinata, Neji, Shino and Yugito's last names. Who are those people that Shiki had mentioned? And why did that Tsunade lady seems as if she had just swallowed an extremely sour lemon?

"Those are the names of the people who used to serve in Mist." Shiki stated, and the eyes of everyone present widened. "The underground mercenary organisation that had been a big help in the turning of the war, and that is still around today! You fuckers…you sold them out after the war ended! My parents…they were the founders and leaders of Mist. And both of them were also nin-users." Shiki narrowed her eyes. "S-class ones, to be exact. Shisei Ayumi is their best spy and information specialist. Hyuuga Hiashi and Hizashi were twin brothers, and along with Aburame Shibi, they were one of the best scouts in Mist. Shibi's older son, Aburame Shiri…you ANBUs killed him nearly nine years ago!" Gaara's eyes widened at the mention of Shino's older brother. "And let's not forget about Karura. She had been Gaara, Temari and Kankuro's mother."

Gaara paled. "The nine of them were the best in Mist, and they played a large part in the war. And you fuckers sold them out! For what? Just because the knowledge that they held and knew could prove disastrous for the ANBU should they decide to spill to the public what they knew, you sold them out! You killed them! You murdered my parents in cold blood! You murdered the parents of my friends! And then, in order to get their orphaned children – _us, _under the ANBU, you went to great pains just to make sure that our lives are total hell."

Tsunade paled, but Shiki wasn't done yet. She wasn't even halfway done. "I've found it strange for awhile now. Other nin-users can live in peace despite it being known that they're nin-users, even though they have to live with the usual discrimination. Just why are we the ones who have to suffer through Hell? I investigated. And trust me, it isn't easy to get all the answers. It too me nearly six fucking years just to find out everything. I later found out from Zabuza that my parents are the founders of Mist, and he, along with the current leader and Ao are one of the first members, and they served under my parents during the war. Then that bastard Yagura trampled all over Mist during the civil war after their deaths, nearly causing the demolishment of Mist. If it weren't for Mei, Zabuza and Ao, that would have meant the end of Mist. I didn't form Ragnarok because of Oto and Ne, and I didn't form them because we wanted to stop the treatment against all nin-users. I formed them…so that we can do the right thing here." Shiki took one step forwards, and Tsunade took one step backwards. "For years, Ragnarok had always helped the victims to take their revenge. I had never done anything about my _own_ revenge. But it's different now. I would have left you alone if you hadn't pushed me over the line, and if you hadn't taken things a little too far. Senju Tsunade, I see your future. And your future…" Shiki's eyes narrowed. "…is death!"

Konan stepped in front of Tsunade just then, and several origami birds flew towards Shiki's direction. The redhead didn't even have to move a single step, as Tenten stepped in front of her, and the birds were then caught on fire and dropped helplessly to the ground.

"Impossible! My origami birds… How can it be?"

"You assholes from the ANBU place too much faith in that shitty ability of yours that you call a nin-ability." Tenten stated.

"Unlike you, we from Ragnarok trained differently." Shiki stated. "The first thing that I've taught each of them to do is to fight as a mortal. The second thing, is to be one with their element, with their powers. That is how nin-users fight. I taught them to stay alive."

The ringtone from a cellphone blared out just then, though slightly muffled, and Gaara pulled his vibrating phone out from his pocket and answered the call. "What is it?" he spoke into the receiver. Gaara then narrowed his eyes. "Okay. We'll meet you back at base." He hung up the phone, and turned towards Shiki. "The other two have done their part. Phase two cleared. Now entering into phase three."

"I see. So Sarutobi Hizuren is dead." Tenten stated calmly. "As expected from Yugito and Shino."

The eyes of all ANBU agents widened. "What?"

"I really wished that we would never meet under these circumstances." Shiki muttered before she glanced at a gobsmacked Nagato. "It's been a long time, Nagato-san. I never dreamed that you'll be a dog of the ANBU now."

"Nagato? Do you know her?" Sasori asked, turning towards the mentioned person who had turned pale.

"What you're attempting to do now is meaningless!" Tsunade shouted as she took another step backwards as Shiki took another step forwards. "Even if you can kill me, there will always be hatred and malice in this world as long as the nin-users exist! What you're attempting to do is nothing more than a fool's errand!"

"A fool's errand, it might be, but at least we're doing something." Shiki stated. "Unlike you ANBU dogs who just sit about on your thumbs all day. And fools we might be as well. But we have been fools right from the start anyway." Shiki chuckled darkly. "Dreaming of an idealistic world…something that we don't even know if it can come to fruition. And fools we might be, but we'll see it right to the end." Shiki held out one hand, and the light webbing from earlier dispersed, much to the ANBUs' astonishment. "You know something? I've changed my mind. I'll let you live, Senju Tsunade. It might be more interesting this way."

"W-What do you mean?" Kisame asked nervously.

"A war," said Gaara. "You ANBUs should know by now that Ragnarok doesn't give second chances. We've just about had enough of you ANBU bastards."

"What war?" Sasori asked warily.

"A war that is bound to happen sooner or later," said Shiki. "A war…between the ANBU and the underworld. This time, the underworld, Baled and Ragnarok against you ANBU. I hereby announce the start of the war."

Tsunade paled. "Do you seriously think that you can win?"

"I know we can win, just like we always did against the ANBU," said Shiki sharply. She then narrowed her eyes. "Well, Senju Tsunade? Are you game?"

"The fat's in the fire now, ANBU dogs." Tenten sneered.

"The game starts now." Gaara smirked darkly. "Let's play."

* * *

_A/N: Phew! Finally done with this chapter! And now, a new arc will hereby commence! The war is about to begin, but Ragnarok won't just have to deal with the ANBU. You'll see what I mean soon. Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

_**Upcoming Stories:**_

_**Era of Darkness (Naruto)**_

_Akatsuki moved 16 years early, and took over the entire shinobi world, with Uchiha Madara at the helm of it all. In a world without freedom and in a time of darkness, a group of ninjas that were the few survivors fought to reclaim back their world. Extreme AU. Pairing undecided_

_**Death's Second Chance (Naruto)**_

_Fate sure loves fucking with one Namikaze Riiyu, it seems like. She doesn't even know if she should hate herself or Kami for sending her back through time into the body of an Uchiha girl, sent to guide Uchiha Sasuke off the path of darkness and to stop the war from ever occurring. Genma/FemNaru_


	32. Price of Freedom

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Two: Price of Freedom**

_10:00am  
__Hagako, Japan_

As an ANBU, Uchiha Itachi had seen many things.

And with the recent move of the Black Ops division of the ANBU, he had seen more than he had even wanted to. With his 'desertion' of the ANBU, he had then saw even more. Things that that Sai guy had later explained were the sights of war.

But _this._

The sight of…this…is something that Itachi wished that he never had to see.

But still, Uchiha Itachi wasn't able to tear his eyes away from the mangled corpses all hung on pikes, with the bodies of women and children among them, the faces nearly unrecognisable. It reminds Itachi of some of Ragnarok's victims in the past, only that this one was much more brutal.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder just then, and Itachi turned only to see a serious-looking Sai. "Come," said Sai in a low voice, tightening his grip on Itachi's shoulder. "This isn't something that you should see. Come on."

Almost like a zombie, Itachi followed Sai until they reached a particularly deserted street. Ever since Ragnarok had stormed ANBU headquarters with Baled, nearly every town had their occupants keeping in their houses unless otherwise.

"What…is that?" Itachi managed to gasp out the moment that he had regained his composure. "Shiki always said that Hagako is one of the cities in Japan that had honourable gangs – street gangs that kept their code. What is that back then? Is that something that a human will do?"

"No." Sai stated curtly, turning cold eyes on Itachi himself. Apparently, Sai hadn't forgiven Itachi completely for the raid that the Black Ops had done on their base back in Lake Ogura. But surprisingly enough, Itachi didn't seem to care right now.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Itachi demanded. "Is _this _what Hagako—"

"That's not what I meant!" Sai cut Itachi off angrily, balling his hands into fists. "Something like this would never have happened when Shiki was here! She would never have allowed it!"

Itachi thought hard for several moments. He remembered what Shiki had mentioned once about her time in Hagako, and about a rival gang whose power is enough to rival that of Blade's. And even Blade never went up against that gang if they could help it. They're not suicidal enough to do that.

"Is it Hanzo?" Itachi questioned, and Sai glanced at him, a look of brief surprise on his face at the fact that Itachi had actually known about Hanzo. "Shiki told me about him." He answered the unasked question.

"I see." Sai muttered before looking over his shoulder and back at Itachi. "Probably." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "This is just like the way that he and his Ame works. Back then, it is true that Blade didn't have enough power to wipe them out, but we do have the support of nearly every single gang in Hagako, and there are quite a number of powerful gangs that are allied with us. And they still are even now. That's the only reason why Hanzo didn't rile us up more. He knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against nearly every single gang in Hagako. But he's been silent for years, ever since Blade had disbanded itself. So just why…?" Sai bit on his bottom lip.

Itachi stayed silent. He had never been involved in the underworld, unlike Shiki and her friends, so he couldn't say that he understood just how the minds of those involved in the underworld works.

Sai's eyes widened just then, having come to a realisation. "Unless…Hanzo and Ame are involved with Ne," he said slowly. The younger teen turned towards Itachi. "For awhile now, ever since I'd…deserted Ne, so as to speak, we have been receiving intelligence and hearing rumours of how a particularly powerful street gang had been assisting Ne and Danzo." He explained. "It has never been confirmed. But if Hanzo and his Ame have indeed been assisting them, then it explains a lot of things. But if that's true…" Sai narrowed his eyes. "Then we are in trouble."

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Exilia)  
__Twenty Miles Deep in the Sea_

"I see. Thank you," said Shiki, speaking in her cellphone whilst being present in the control room alongside nearly every single member of Ragnarok, with the usual two – Haku and Hinata, piloting the submarine-cum-plane. _Nearly _every single member, because Temari is currently in the medical bay, unconscious. The Mutation process that she had forced herself through had nearly killed her. That if it hadn't been for Shiki's timely arrival, she would have died.

"_One of the leaders of the street gangs in Hagako told us that some ANBU members have been investigating you," _said Sumaru on the other end of the line. _"Seems like they intend to take this challenge to them seriously as well."_

Shiki smirked. "Well, it wouldn't be fun if they didn't," she said. She then turned serious. "But seriously… We don't have much time on our side as well."

"_The Bijuu Shrines?" _Sumaru questioned, and Shiki sighed.

"Yeah," she said. "We've managed to seal them away. But it wouldn't last for long. The time for his awakening is at hand. If we don't hurry and find a way to seal him away for good…" She trailed off.

"_Well, these things take time." _Sumaru stated. _"Anyway, Iruka and the others are fine. I think that they've gone to Mist for help. But that Itachi guy…" _He trailed off. _"I understand the circumstances, and I also agree that he is partly to blame for the blast at our base at Lake Ogura. But Shiki, I think that you should tell him everything about the ANBU and their misdeeds. The ones that are kept hidden, from even their own people. He especially has to understand just what the ANBU had done to your parents, and why you are doing what you are doing now. The war is at hand, and we need every single bit of help that we can get."_

Shiki was silent. "…I understand."

**XXXXXX**

_Baled Resistance Movement  
__Shinjuku, Japan_

"What is this?" Itachi asked, an eyebrow twitching as he stared at the screwdriver in his hand.

Takigawa Utakata stared at Itachi like he had suddenly grown two new heads from his position by one of the motorbikes. "It's a screwdriver," he stated matter-of-factly.

"I know that!" Itachi snapped. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Help me out here." Utakata stated. "Freeloaders don't get food here."

"Unfortunately, you're going to have to work on that bike of yours on your own for today, Utakata," said a familiar voice, and the two boys turned only to see a fairly familiar redhead standing behind them. Namikaze Shiki sighed. "I'm going to borrow Itachi for a bit."

* * *

"This should be a good enough spot." Shiki muttered to herself as she sat down on the grass by the lake. The fireflies were out in full, and seeing this many of them meant that summer is nearly over.

Silence reigned for several moments before Itachi sighed inwardly, rubbing his temples. This silence is nearly stifling. _'This is getting ridiculous,' _he thought. He was about to open his mouth to say something when Shiki cut him off.

"Having any regrets?" The redhead asked out of the sudden, not looking at him, but at the lake, her arms wrapped around her legs.

"N-Not really." Itachi muttered, and Shiki turned to look at him.

"Liar," she stated bluntly. "You _are _regretting it. Not that I blame you." She said, turning her eyes back to the fireflies once more, and Itachi blinked owlishly. "You had served in the ANBU for several years. If you did not regret your action, you wouldn't be the person whom I know, and I wouldn't have asked Sai and Sumaru to hide you as well."

Shiki leaned backwards slightly and looked at Itachi. "Your ANBU leaders, Senju Tsunade and Sarutobi Hizuren…" She trailed off. "A long time ago, during the war, they were the ones who managed to end the war with that country what's-their-name. But during the war, and even after that, they have done many horrible deeds in the name of the country and the High Council, and even the ANBU. Deeds that were even kept hidden from their fellow ANBUs." Shiki turned towards Itachi. "The Black Ops were one of those. On the surface, they were a division that existed purely for the sake of war, but beneath that, they were a division that specialised in assassination. A division that does all the dirty work just so that the ANBU can continue existing. Dirty work that can never be revealed, not even to their fellow ANBUs. I understand the reasoning behind a division like that, but I still can't forgive them." She grinded one fist into the ground beside her.

"The underground mercenary group, Mist. The one that Mei Terumi is in charge of now. They were founded during the war." Shiki turned towards Itachi. "My parents were the original founders." Itachi's eyes widened. "And the other members of Mist were their friends. The parents of all those in Ragnarok. My parents founded Mist right out of high school when the war was taking a turn for the worse. In the end, the war ended with Japan the victor. Mist had a large part to play in that victory. But at the same time, they knew many secrets and a great deal of information that might prove disastrous if it ever got out. That's why after the war, the new ANBU leaders, Senju Tsunade and Sarutobi Hizuren, ordered them killed." Itachi's eyes widened in shock. So that explains it… "After that, during the civil war, they made the lives of their children – us, hell on purpose. That is so that when the time comes, the ANBU will 'save' us, and we will feel grateful to them. That is a common tactic often used." Shiki turned towards Itachi. "You've asked me once why I created Ragnarok. This has in part to do with it. I just want to know the truth behind my parents' deaths. I was too young to remember them, as I was a mere baby when they died. But I still want to know the truth."

Itachi was silent for a long time. He didn't want to believe that the ANBU that he believed is full of justice and righteousness will do such a thing like that. But he had been an ANBU as well, and he knew their secrets, and the things that they will do in order to keep certain secrets hidden. They are the order of this country, and it is their duty to keep that order, no matter what they have to do. Even if it is the killing of certain people.

"Sai told me that some of the ANBUs were poking around Hagako when they tried tracking your past." Itachi said at last. "Only thing new that the ANBU had managed to find out in five years – that you're originally from Hagako."

Shiki raised an eyebrow. "They do indeed have a death wish," she muttered, shaking her head. "It isn't wise for the ANBU to head into Hagako now at a time like this." She explained, reading Itachi's confused look. "All the street gangs of Hagako are now very high strung, with the ANBU and the things happening of late, and with Hanzo. Hagako is at the fore of the underworld after all. We keep our secrets well there. The people there are loyal to our own first and foremost. And there are people there that are still loyal to me."

"War…" Itachi muttered. "I had hoped that Sasuke would never have to see a war, but…"

Shiki shook her head. "You can't keep coddling him forever," she pointed out. "And I'm sorry to say this, but I think that your kid brother had seen some sights of war by now. Some of the criminals that the ANBU go after have committed acts that are only ever seen during war." She sighed. "I've been a long time in this business, Itachi. And the one thing that I've learnt is that there are no coincidences in this world. Once Death touches you, there is no escape." Her eyes are like cold hard pieces of steel at this point. "And you'll be a fool to tempt Fate. If you try, you'll probably piss off the Grim Reaper. And trust me, there is no person scarier than him when he is angry. Just trust me on this: don't even try to defy or tempt Fate. You won't like the consequences. As a nin-user, our sixth sense is stronger than most humans. But unlike most nin-users, my sixth sense had always been stronger than most. I can feel that something is going to happen even before it could happen."

Itachi's eyes widened in shock. So that's how… "So that's how you knew where to find your friends and what is going to—"

"Yeah." Shiki cut him off before he could complete his sentence. "The night that Blade was wiped out was the first time that I got something like that. I…ignored it, and you know what happened that night. Trust me on this: don't even try to defy or tempt Fate. If it's your time, it's time. No one can cheat Death. And if you try, you won't like the consequences. I've seen it happen too many times."

"But why did you target the ANBU?" Itachi wanted to know. "I understand that you're angry because of your parents, but—"

"Because they took everything from me." Shiki interrupted. "They did other things to me, not just killing my parents, but I won't elaborate more on that topic. This is just for revenge. Plain and simple. I wasn't planning on falling for you. But then, it _did_ happen, and things then grew complicated from there."

"Revenge, huh?" Itachi mused. "It can consume you, Shiki."

"That may be true." Shiki agreed to Itachi's surprise. "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." She chewed on her bottom lip. "It is a cycle that never ends." She turned towards Itachi. "Even in the underworld, we have our own set of rules. We will follow them. Those that break them…" Her eyes turned cold and unforgiving. "They will be hunted down by the rest of us. That is the law of survival in the underworld."

"Why are you telling me this?" Itachi felt uncomfortable. It is almost like Shiki is trying to tell him something. He understood the redhead. She had always been direct and blunt, not caring in the least if her words would hurt someone. She is never one to dress her words up in pretty sounding words.

Shiki was silent for a long time before she turned towards Itachi. "Because I'm getting you away from here," she answered, and Itachi's eyes went wide in shock. "The war that we're in right now with the ANBU is going to get fiercer. And I know you. I know you would never be able to fight seriously against your once comrades. But if you don't take it seriously, you'll die. That's why I'm getting you away from here. Forget everything, Itachi. Forget about this place. Forget that you had been an ANBU. Forget about _me. _If you continue to remain here, you'll die. Either by your once comrades' hand, or by yourself."

"That's not true!" Itachi blurted out. "I…I made my decision when I decided to retaliate against Tsunade—"

"Then let me ask you one question," said Shiki sharply. "If your brother was sent to kill you, would you be able to kill him?" Itachi felt his breath get caught in his throat. "You can't answer me, can you?" Shiki smiled a grim smile. "You have to understand that this isn't a game. You'll get killed if you don't take this seriously. Our enemy isn't just the ANBU. And it'll only be just a matter of time before they appear. And once that time arrives, the fighting will be worse and fiercer. Some of us will die. Some of us will not. But make no mistake, this country will lose an entire generation of young men and women by the time that that time comes. If you think that you can't deal with it, I'll advise you to leave now. And I know you. It's time for you to leave."

A very long silence reigned.

"You're going to leave me again, aren't you?" Itachi asked at last. "Why must you always do this to me?"

"You know that this day will come sooner or later." Shiki stated. "We stand on different sides after all. We look at the world through different eyes. You look at the world in pure black and white. I see the gray. We look at it differently, and thus, think differently. It will never work out." She stood up, her back facing Itachi. "I'll talk to Iruka about this. He has ways to get you out of the country without anyone realising it until you're long gone. I have a few friends in other places. They'll take care of you."

Itachi grabbed Shiki's wrist before she can leave, his bangs overshadowing his eyes, not saying anything for several moments. "Don't make decisions like this for me," he muttered. "I never said that I would go."

"Stop that," said Shiki curtly, turning around to face Itachi. "You know that it is for the best."

"For the best?" Itachi echoed. "You don't seriously believe that, do you?"

A rumble of thunder echoed in the distance, before the light drops of rain began falling onto their heads. Shiki said nothing for several moments before Itachi decided to take the initiative. "All right." He said before grabbing Shiki by the shoulder and turning her around, grabbing her lips in a chaste kiss.

* * *

Later on, in Itachi's room in Baled's headquarters of the Shinjuku branch, if anyone cared to strain their ears, they would have overheard the light rustling of fabric.

"You're cold." Itachi muttered, brushing a few rain-soaked bangs off of Shiki's forehead, leaning above her.

"I can't help it. The rain came down all of a sudden." Shiki muttered, before she took in a sharp intake of breath as Itachi pushed up the fabric of her shirt, allowing cool air to hit her skin. "Itachi…"

Itachi reached down to capture her lips in a kiss once more, before drawing back. "I love you," he muttered. "I'll say it as many times as I need to, as long as you could remember it. It doesn't matter what would happen. I just do not want to be separated from you ever again." He then bent down before kissing her once more.

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Exilia)  
__Twenty Miles Deep in the Sea_

"Seems like there have been no movements from the ANBU of late." Gaara stated, glancing over at Shiki who is sitting on the chair opposite him in the control room. The both of them were the only ones in there, as the others were getting a quick bite to eat.

"I see." Shiki muttered, not looking at Gaara, as she is reading a leather-bound journal of some sort whilst making some notes on another notebook. "Well, I'm not surprised. They did lose their leader recently after all. Their first priority would be to arrange the chain of command before deciding on any next move regarding us."

Gaara frowned. "And the next highest chain of command would be the ANBU commander, huh?" he mused. "That makes it easy for us then. That woman is quick tempered and arrogant to boot. It will be easy to predict her manner of thinking. That is why we have been able to predict their movements these past few years."

"I guess." Shiki mused absent-mindedly.

There was silence for several moments before Gaara spoke again. "I've been meaning to ask you for some time now. Why did you create Ragnarok?"

Shiki looked up at this question. She sighed inwardly. Seems like a great number of people have been asking her this question of late. "A great number of reasons," she said at last. "But the main one being that I wanted to atone for my sins."

"Sins?"

Shiki nodded. "Yeah. A long time ago, I made a very stupid mistake. Many people paid for it with their lives just because of my ego." Her eyes turned distant, as if recalling a far off memory. "'Born for Him. Die for Him. If that is Fate, one cannot disobey. Travel the unseen road. For what lies there is the end of life. This is God's guidance'." Shiki recited, before glancing at Gaara. "He said that to me once. A prayer of sorts." She closed her eyes briefly. "I…was kidnapped a long time ago, along with several others. Only those who were held captive back then knew this prayer. I miscalculated the escape route when we were making our escape. And the end result is that over half of us died. Later, I swore that I would never let something like this happen again. Not long after that, I created Blade. And then, the same thing happened again. I really wanted to give up then and there. But then, Neji and Hinata appeared. They gave me hope. Things just happened from there, and I started to help you guys. And before I knew it, Ragnarok was formed."

"Sins huh?" Gaara mused.

"I think that everyone has something like that." Shiki stated. "Something that we wished to forget. You. Me. Everyone. Everyone has something like that. But sometimes, I wonder to myself, if sins are truly forgiven. If there is a real Hell in this world, sometimes, I think it best describes the world that we are now in. Hell." She chuckled bitterly. "It is Hell here too."

Gaara sighed. "Isn't that the truth?" he muttered sarcastically.

**XXXXXX**

_Somewhere Else  
__Unknown Location_

"Sai told me to hand this to the leader of Mist." Itachi stated, holding out a stack of papers all bound in a brown manila envelope.

Umino Iruka nodded and took it from Itachi. "Sorry, to make you come all the way here," he stated. He then noted the raising of Itachi's brows and smiled lightly. "I am here as a temporary secretary for Mei-san. I swear, they need someone _permanent _to handle all the paperwork, with this amount of backlogged work." He muttered beneath his breath. He then turned towards Itachi. "Do you have some time now? I want to talk with you."

Itachi nodded dumbly before following Iruka to what must be his makeshift office. In fact, the stacks of paper that could be seen all over the office nearly made Itachi sweat drop. Okay, so Iruka wasn't exaggerating about the paperwork earlier.

"What about your café?" Itachi asked Iruka as he dropped down onto the couch, as Iruka busied himself with brewing some coffee.

"Shiki and Mei-san advised me to not return there for the time being. At least until the war is over." Iruka answered, bringing two cups of coffee over to the table. "The ANBU is closing in on all those who have connections with the underworld – the informants, street gangs and even the runners. They only knew that Ragnarok's information network has to do with the underworld. That is why they have been closing in on us. They intend to cut Ragnarok's connections off."

"That won't work." Itachi pointed out. "Shiki's connections don't just stop there."

"Well, we all knew that, but no one ever said that the ANBU has any brains to begin with." Iruka stated bluntly. "If truth be told, Shiki knew that this would happen one day. That is why she had already made preparations for all of us. Also, Hagako hasn't been budging in the least, not that I'm surprised. But I heard that the ANBU is closing in on them as well."

Itachi sighed. This doesn't bode well. "If they continue targeting Hagako, they'll only succeed in pissing off the entire underworld. And that is _not_ a wise thing to do. The underworld has never been fond of the ANBU in the first place. And with this war, the ANBU closing in on them will only piss them off _more."_

"I guess so." Iruka smiled, scratching at the scar on his nose. He was silent for a long time before he spoke again. "A long time ago, during the war, I was involved in one of the fiercest battles ever known. I left my family when I was young during the war, all because I wanted to stop the fighting. My parents tried to stop me, saying that it is nothing but a fool's errand. And they are right. But at that time, I ignored them. I was stupid then. And arrogant. As well as foolish. I thought that nothing could kill me. But I was wrong. One battle nearly did. I would have died then if Shizune and Genma hadn't been there." He glanced at Itachi. "I saw the war first hand for myself. That's why, more than anyone else, I understood why Shiki did what she did. The world is changing, Itachi. Whether for the better or for the worse, I don't know. But I believe that what Shiki is doing is the right thing. And make no mistake, this war will change the world."

"The ANBU has been in control ever since the founding of Japan." Itachi pointed out. "It won't be an easy battle."

"No one ever said that it would be easy." Iruka sighed. "And now, Tsunade is the only one making all the major decisions for ANBU, though I think that it is in Shiki's calculations as well. She would never have ordered Sarutobi killed otherwise. With that woman as the leader, the ANBU may be able to break through our defenses. Perhaps, with luck and cunning on their side, the ANBU may even make it to our gates. But then…" Iruka's eyes hardened. "Over there, they will then meet Ragnarok itself. And you should know by now what they are capable of. They are some of the most powerful nin-users that I've ever met, and they don't even need to use their powers in the battles that they are involved in so far. They can make the impossible possible. If the ANBU are willing to face the one that can control death, then they can push on. If they don't mind being turned into vegetables by one who can scramble their minds and break them, then they can feel free to continue." Iruka's eyes then turned cold. "And we will grind the ANBU into the dust."

**XXXXXX**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Exilia)  
__Twenty Miles Deep in the Sea_

The medical bay was silent as Shiki sat by the only occupied bed, where a certain blonde haired girl laid in, slumbering peacefully.

Shiki stared at Temari, wishing that the girl would wake up soon, but she knew that Temari's body needs time to heal after using that accursed power that had nearly killed her. A nin-user's resistance is stronger than most, and so were their healing ability. It is only a matter of time before Temari wakes. She just has to be patient.

Shiki stared at Temari, recalling what the blonde girl had asked of her before that mission to the ANBU headquarters, and she had knocked herself into a coma.

_If anything ever happens to me, please erase everyone's memories of me. With your skills and abilities in rune spells, you can do something like this easily. Furthermore, this is something that I have to do. You can call it revenge. Or you can even call it foolishness. But this is something that I __**have **__to do. Please Shiki. Please try to understand._

Shiki sighed, rubbing her forehead. _'Sorry, Temari,' _she thought. _'I can't do this to you.' _She then leaned back against the chair that she is sitting in. _'"If I have to bring unhappiness to everyone by doing this, then I'll rather that they do not remember me at all. I'll rather that even Gaara do not remember that he has a sister. This is my decision, and I do not want anyone sad by the decisions that I'd made". This is what you'd said back then. It is true that the others can't take another comrade's death any longer, but I still can't do this to you…to everyone. I'm sorry, but please try to understand.'_

Shiki sighed and looked out of the small window in the medical bay, where she saw nothing but dark waters, seeing as how night is already falling. She then tightened her arms around herself. _'I wonder… If you three have never met me in Hiraiko all those years ago, would things have come to this? If you had a choice again, would you still choose to follow me? After all, I did nothing but bring death and unhappiness to everyone who had ever followed me. Blade…and now Ragnarok. Is everything that I've done…' _Shiki closed her eyes briefly. _'…all just a big mistake?'_

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for the wait! Some of my readers have been badgering me to write this chapter, so here it is. But I've written it at a bad time apparently, as I'm down with a really bad flu and cough. If any of you have tried working or writing when you're sick, you'll know what I mean. And you'll also know how difficult it is to churn out a decent chapter when you can't even think straight. I hope that this chapter is up to your standard._

_So a friend of mine had recommended a new anime to me. Usually, I would never watch BL (boy love) anime, as in yaoi. But she did mention that the storyline is really good, so I decided to just take a risk. And the storyline is pretty good. Not too many disturbing scenes as well, unless you count the other spin off anime by the same artist. Oh, and the anime that I've mentioned? Seikai-ichi Hatsukoi. Also translated as The Best First Love in the World. At least, that's how it went, I think. And the other spin off anime is known as Junjou Romantica._

_But while Seikai had more kissing scenes, though not that many, Junjou had more bed scenes that sometimes cause me to even stop watching it. But if any of you are a fan of romance or even yaoi, just check it out. You might like it._

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

_**Preview of next chapter:**_

"_You had something important to do, don't you? Leave it to me. At least let an old man like me do what he has to."_

"_Enough! We will shed no more blood tonight! There has already been too much blood spilt. Leave this place at once. This place is not yours to tread. Leave this place or die. The choice is yours."_

"_We told you to leave this place or die. You refused. Now you may have killed us all, for you have just unleashed a creature that we have feared for over ten thousand years."_


	33. That Which We Fears

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Three: That Which We Fears**

_Ragnarok's Headquarters (Exilia)  
__Twenty Miles Deep in the Sea_

All of Ragnarok (at least the ones who are still conscious) are confused.

_Extremely _so.

Their much esteemed leader had been spending the most part of three hours doing nothing but just staring into blank space in the command room, seated in the swivel chair there, her chin propped up by a hand.

"What's wrong with her?" Haku whispered to Hinata who shrugged. "She hasn't moved from there ever since she got back from wherever she had gone to just now."

"I think that Jiraiya-sama called her out somewhere earlier." Yugito volunteered the information, and the other two girls blinked in confusion. "It has been nearly a month since Temari had been knocked into a coma. We're down one more person who specialises in combat." She sighed. "This is going to be hard."

"I don't think that the loss of Temari will be of much loss to our current fighting strength, though the _psychological states _of the others are in question. I know for sure that Neji-nii-san had been going around to all the underworld gangs whilst Gaara had been going around to the informants and the runners." Hinata stated. "We're really serious now. And Shiki is furious with the ANBU. I've never seen her so angry before."

Haku sighed. "I never thought that I'll say this; but I feel sorry for the ANBU," she muttered, and the other two giggled.

Meanwhile in the command room where Shiki is the only one there, she blocked out the conversation of the three girls and frowned, thinking back to the short conversation that she had with her godfather earlier.

Apparently, rumours of Danzo had been running around once more, and Jiraiya is anxious to go and trace it. Ever since the entire mess with the ANBU, it looks like Danzo and his Ne are confident enough to come out into the open once more.

"_I'm going to go investigate Danzo and the Bijuu Nine shrines. Something is amiss. Even you could tell that."_

"_It's too dangerous!"_

"_Shiki, I'll be fine. I'm a little worried about this. You had something important to do, don't you? Leave this matter to me. I want to create a better safer world where you can live in too. At least let an old man like me do what he has to do. Okay?"_

Shiki sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. _'Don't you dare to die on me, you old pervert,' _she thought.

The three girls standing near the doorway were nearly knocked over by Shino just then who seemed to be in a hurry to get to the command room. "What the hell are you three doing blocking the doorway?" Shino seemed quite ruffled, unusual for the normally unflappable boy. "Never mind that! Is Shiki— Ah, you're here!" Shino entered the command room, his cellphone clutched in one hand, and oddly enough, missing his laptop. The insect user is _never _seen without his laptop unless it's one of those rare occasions when he is involved on a mission. "Shiki, I've got some news."

"What is it?" Shiki asked, turning to face Shino.

"Sai had just sent word," said Shino, glancing at the cellphone in his hand, and turning back to Shiki. "I have no idea how the hell they found out about it, but the ANBU seems to be aware of the fact that we've been investigating the old legend about the Bijuu Nine, the gods of creation, and that we've been searching for their long lost temples that is originally believed to be a myth of some sort. They're heading towards the Bijuu Shrine."

The three girls still at the doorway froze, and Shiki frowned. "When you say Bijuu Shrine, which one do you mean?" she asked slowly. "One of the nine temples, the one at the Forbidden Forest, or…?" She trailed off.

Shino looked weary – that much was obvious even beneath his sunglasses, and he answered. "The one at the Lost Lake, the main temple of the Bijuu Shrines. The legendary cave of creation. The place where the bodies of the Bijuu Nine were enshrined." Shino's eyes narrowed. _"The Lost Cave."_

Shiki froze, her face one of horror.

Not even Shiki and the others in Ragnarok would go there unless they absolutely have to.

When they've first started tracking down the locations of the nine Bijuu Shrines – one shrine for each of the Bijuu Nine, they've came across ancient text that mentioned the legendary temple – the main temple of the Bijuu Shrines where the Bijuu Nine were born. And it is where they have died, and where their bodies were enshrined in the underground cave beneath the temple.

And because it is also where the most powerful gods were enshrined and buried, the power there is _tremendous._

It had taken Shiki and Ragnarok the better part of nearly nine years just to find the legendary cave, the cave of creation, and also known as the Lost Cave. Shiki and Ragnarok tried to never stay in there for long unless they absolutely have to, as something always feels wrong to them somehow.

People go missing all the time at the Lost Lake, and that is mostly the reason why people rarely ventures near there. And if the ANBU know just where and what to look for…

Shiki growled. "Oh hell _no!" _she growled. "I'm not about to let those ANBU bastards desecrate one of the _last _remaining holy places left standing in the world! And not to mention that _his _main body is there! As well as the main part of the seal! If they break it by accident when venturing in there, we're all done for!"

The redhead turned towards the three girls standing by the doorway, shocked expressions on their faces. "Haku! Hinata! Steer the course towards the Lost Lake! And make it at full speed! Shino, contact Sumaru and Sai and tell them everything! Even the Mist! Yugito, contact Neji and tell him to meet up with us at our usual rendezvous point at Lost Lake. I'll contact Gaara. Go!"

**XXXXXX**

_Unknown Location  
__Lost Lake_

The Lost Lake is probably one of the mistiest places in all of Japan, with the mist never seeming to thin, no matter which time of the year it is, even if it's summer. If one doesn't literally know where they're going in the mist, they can easily get lost. Thus the name – Lost Lake.

Several people have come here in the past and never returned.

But now, because of the mere fact alone that there is some rumour going around that Ragnarok had been investigating all the places that have to do with the legend of the Bijuu Nine, and there is supposedly a long lost temple in this place that has to do with the legend, Tsunade had ordered whatever remained of Rendoku and Akatsuki to investigate. But because even ANBUs were known to get lost here, whatever members that had remained of both teams were dispatched.

"This is a bad idea. This is a stupid idea. Have I told you that this is a _very _bad and stupid idea?" Hoshigaki Kisame was muttering throughout their entire trip here. The ANBU members have landed at the nearest port town, and had then made their way to the Lost Lake on foot. Nagato and Sasuke – the best ones at navigation among them were leading the way with the assistance of a map and a compass.

Nagato who is examining the map rolled his eyes. "Lots. But we have no choice. It's an order," he said irritably, consulting the compass in his hand. "Now where are we?" He wondered, looking from his map to the compass and back again.

Nagato had been in quite a bad mood for nearly a month ever since Ragnarok had attacked ANBU headquarters and had left as quickly as they had arrived.

ANBU has been in shambles ever since, and are still trying to pick up the pieces. And not to mention that the entire underworld and the informant circle seemed to be on guard against them. Not even Mist is willing to assist them, despite the numerous threats from the other members of the High Council. Mei had gone as far as to state that the underworld helps their own first and foremost. She will never abandon a comrade.

Sasuke bit on his lip as he consulted the map and compass that he had with him, with Shikamaru next to him, frowning as he looked between the two items as well, and glanced around him. "Shikamaru, I think that it's this way," he said unsurely, pointing in some random direction where the mist seems to be thickest. "Now I understand why those people seemed to get lost so easily. The compass isn't exactly working right. What is with this place?"

"Well, some old legends state that this is where the Bijuu Nine had fought and perished thousands of years ago." Sasori shrugged. "Bunch of old legends, old wives' tales. But it is true that people get lost all the time here, never to be found again. There is always mist surrounding here too." He turned towards Kisame. "So what should we do?"

Kisame frowned. He is starting to find just how difficult it is to be a leader ever since Itachi's 'defection'. The swordsman then sighed. "Let's go with Shikamaru and Sasuke's suggestion," he said. "Waiting around here isn't exactly an option either. Let's go."

And he started to walk towards the direction where Sasuke and Shikamaru have both pointed out earlier where the mist is the thickest. The rest of the ANBU members followed him, all of them huddled close together to ensure that they wouldn't get lost.

To their surprise, as they continued walking on, the mist seemed to be slowly thinning out until they came to a rather desolate area with an elaborate looking temple that seemed to be built out of some strange material that none of the ANBUs had ever seen before. And if this is one of the Bijuu temples, then it must be around for a long time now. Yet, this temple looks as if it was just built yesterday. And from the looks of it, it must extend underground too.

"Wow…" Chouji whispered. "It looks so beautiful…"

"So this is one of the ancient shrines. I didn't think that it actually existed." Konan muttered, her eyes wide.

There was a sudden change in the air just then, and Nagato turned sharply. "Get down!" he commanded, and everyone immediately obeyed his commands. Those that didn't were forced to the ground by Nagato's telekinetic ability.

And just in time too, as giant balls of fire swished past the area where their heads would have been a moment ago, and sharp ice spikes surrounded them, hereby barricading them in. The mist actually thinned out just then, and three familiar people surrounded them even as the ANBU members sat up slowly, angered looks on the faces of the newcomers.

"You people sure have a lot of guts to show up here." Shisei Haku hissed, flexing her fingers. "Haven't you done enough harm to this country? You'll ruin one of her symbols as well?"

"What are you talking about?" Lee asked, perplexed.

"This temple is one of the few holy places left in this country. This is exactly _why _it was built here, you idiots!" Tenten hissed. Next to her, Gaara said nothing, but glared at them. "I don't even want to know just _how _you've found out about this place, since it even took us nearly nine freaking years to find this place, and I don't get why you've came here, but now that you're here, don't think that you're getting out of here alive."

At this, the ANBUs readied their weapons or the usage of their powers for the nin-users among their group. The tension was so thick in the air that one could quite easily slice through it with a knife. That tension was then broken by a voice that rang through the air.

"Enough!" Every single person present turned towards the source of the voice whose owner seemed to be walking towards them from within the mist. Namikaze Shiki had a frown on her face as she walked towards them, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her jacket. "Stand down." She told her comrades who frowned but obeyed. The redhead then turned towards the ANBU, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "We will shed no more blood here tonight. There has always already been too much blood spilt. Leave this place at once. This place is not yours to tread. Leave this place or die. The choice is yours." She turned on her heel to leave, but not before addressing them with her final worlds. "You have one day, and you should know by now that we Ragnarok keeps our promises." She gestured with her chin towards her comrades. "Come."

And just as suddenly as they've appeared, the Ragnarok members left just as suddenly, leaving no trace of their appearances there at all.

Silence.

"Okay. What is that all about?" Deidara asked at last, confusion on his face. "They looked pissed off."

Sasuke sighed. "Every single time we'd met them, has there been just that _one time _when they _don't _look pissed off?" he questioned sarcastically, and Deidara sweat dropped.

"Good point."

"And besides, have you seen how they've reacted?" Lee asked excitedly. "There must be something down there." He pointed at the temple.

"Like what?" Sasuke asked sarcastically. "Are you thinking of gold coins or jewels?"

"Well, you never know." Lee defended himself. "Let's go in!" He bounded towards the steps of the temple excitedly.

Kisame sighed, following his comrades reluctantly. He knew that there is no talking them out of something once they have their minds made up. "This is a bad idea. This is a stupid idea." He groaned. "This is a _big _mistake! I have nothing to do with whatever that might happen later!"

Konan rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You talk as if they're enshrining a demon here or something," she muttered. "Is the door locked?"

"No," said Sasuke in surprise as he slid the bolts back that slid back easily. "Just what material is this temple built of anyway? I've never seen anything like this before." He examined the doors carefully before turning towards his comrades. "But I guess we should go in first, huh?"

* * *

"Why didn't you stop them?" Tenten asked Shiki. "You know that they will enter the shrine?"

"Something feels wrong. It feels off somehow." Shiki muttered, glancing towards the direction of the temple. "You guys should have sensed it too. Something is telling me to get the hell out of here. The same feeling that I get every time I come here. But this time, the feeling is stronger."

Gaara frowned. "What is going to happen?"

* * *

"What is this?" Deidara scratched the back of his head, staring up at the…stone statue that was standing in the middle of the pond-like area the moment that they've stepped through the doors of the temple. There is even a plaque attached to the small platform where three small glowing gems were resting in.

"It's in the Sacred Tongue." Nagato said with a frown as he ran his eyes over the strange writing on the golden plaque. "A form of ancient language thought to have been lost thousands of years ago. An old legend stated that the Sacred Tongue is the common language of the gods and Man back then."

"Can you read it?" Sasori asked, and Nagato nodded.

"My twin taught me the language when he was still alive," said Nagato with a sad smile, before he turned back towards the plaque. "'I'm the ghost that dances here, not illusion dear. I mirror your hearts' desire, shown among the liars. I'm the ghost that dances within, hearts flowing sin. Twisted and flowed with contrite. Revealed in the moonlight'."

"Huh?" Lee almost had question marks floating above his head. "What is that? Some kind of riddle?" He leaned in close to Nagato to examine the plaque, nearly breathing down his neck as he did so, much to Nagato's annoyance.

"Oi, you're too close!" Nagato jabbed his elbow into Lee's stomach who let out an 'oof', and his hand then hit one of the three gems embedded above the plaque – the middle blue glowing gem. To the astonished and alarmed eyes of all ANBU members present, the gem then flew off and landed into the water with a light 'plip'.

Silence.

A moment later, there was a low rumbling sound, and the temple that they were in was starting to tremble. Lee looked worried. "Did I do something wrong?" He sounded scared. This _was _a pretty old temple after all. There might be ancient traps all over, and he might have triggered one by mistake.

"O-Oi… You guys… The statue… Look at the statue!" Kiba sounded scared, his eyes wide and round, staring at the statue in the middle of the pond in horror.

Every single pair of eyes went to the statue just then that seemed to be…moving? And the eyes were glowing a dark crimson. Kisame nearly got a heart attack when he saw that the hand of the statue is moving, and there was a loud roar that nearly deafened them all before a dark purple light surrounded the statue, and when it died away, there stood a man maybe about a head shorter than Kisame with dark hair that went down to his shoulders with crimson red eyes. He was wearing some strange clothing that none of them had seen before in their lives, with a series of black markings on his left arm, a sword in his right hand. And everyone present could sense that this man…isn't exactly human.

Just why exactly though?

Maybe it is the fact that malice and evil practically _poured _out of him. Or maybe it is the fact that he is _standing on top _of the water.

"At last…" The man hissed. "At last…_I am free!"_

* * *

In several different parts of the world, the members of Ragnarok turned sharply towards the direction of the Bijuu Shrine – the Lost Cave. Underwater, Hinata nearly lost control of the ship of Ragnarok's as she paled, looking out of the window.

"Did you feel that?" Yugito asked Hinata, and she nodded, pale.

Over with Shiki, she paled considerably, one hand clutching at the fabric around her heart. "Oh no…"

"The seal." Gaara muttered in horror. "Has it been broken?"

Haku turned towards Shiki. "Let's go!"

* * *

"W-What the hell is that?" Kiba nearly screamed.

The 'man' turned towards them, and a very malicious smirk spread across his features. _"Humans." _His voice doesn't even _sound _human, and he spat the word 'humans' out like it's something foul. _"His _creations. _His _descendants. Be gone!" He raised his left hand, and the black markings on his arm glowed—

And before he could do anything, there were bright emanating glows from the remaining two gems on the plaque before several strange glowing ropes shot out from nowhere and wrapped around his limbs.

The 'man' growled. "The remnants of the seal," he growled. "Kyuubi… You're as annoying as ever. But this won't work!" And he tightened his muscles before the glowing ropes tore like it was made from paper. He then turned his eyes towards the frightened ANBU members in front of him. "Count yourselves lucky. I need to rest now. I need to gather my strength. But once the time comes, the world shall know the terror that is the Demon God! Know and fear this name: Madara, the Demon God! The world's most powerful god!"

His body then glowed purple before he disappeared in a flash of bright light. A very long silence fell among them as the ANBU members exchanged terrified looks. "L-Let's get out of here." Kisame was the first one to break the silence.

"Y-Yeah. G-Good idea." Sasuke stammered as he finally got his legs to start moving, and moved towards the entrance of the temple, followed by his comrades.

The moment that they stepped through the doors however, they were met by the stern faces of the members of Ragnarok themselves, with them pointing their weapons at them. Sasuke recognised a few of the faces from Baled.

"Enough!" A voice rang out, and some of the people present gave way only to allow four people to walk through – Shiki, Gaara, Sai and Sumaru. And all four didn't look pleased. "We told you to leave this place or die." Shiki told them sternly. "You refused. Now you may have killed us all, for you have just unleashed a creature that we have feared for over ten thousand years. You may have just sentenced the world to eternal doom."

"What are you talking about?" Kiba questioned. "What is…that from earlier?"

"I don't take orders from you." Shiki snorted. "Now we must go and hunt him down. It wouldn't take too long for him to regain his full strength, and we must stop him before he does. Gaara. Sai. Come on. Neji, take command until I return. Sumaru, you know what to do."

"Roger." Sumaru nodded.

"You've got it." Neji grunted.

"But what is that from before? That's no human, right?" Konan cut in before Shiki could leave.

There was silence for a very long time before Shiki turned around to face them, and the expression on her face nearly caused the ANBUs to cringe.

"Know this, this creature that you speak of is no mortal," she stated. "He isn't like us. He is _not _of this world. He is the bringer of death, one of the first gods that had brought this world into being. He is the epitome of death, destruction and chaos. He never eats. He never sleeps." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And he will _never _stop."


	34. The Path That You Walk

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Four: The Path That You Walk**

Things seriously couldn't get any worse.

Less than a month after the Demon God's awakening had the entire country, along with the ANBU, all up in arms, especially since a strange illness had been spreading around the country. The symptoms are strange – almost like smallpox, yet it isn't, as the cause is really that of a strange parasite that nested into people's bodies, speeding up the deterioration of a human body, resulting in death.

The public are panicking because of this, and because many people had actually seen the Demon God _fly_ past their towns and villages on that fateful day. The Demon God is famous enough, being mentioned in several legends and archives that many people have recognised his form immediately.

Thus, the ANBU are all up to their necks in work, trying to calm down the frightened public, and to do some damage control.

And while they are doing that, the underworld, especially Ragnarok and Baled, are all strangely silent.

**XXXXXX**

_Mist's Headquarters  
__Unknown Location_

"—_and now, we bring to you the latest news report today. Another person suffering from the 'Death Syndrome' that is what experts have been calling the new disease going around, had just been confirmed. As of now, it has been confirmed that there have been twenty seven such cases and—"_

_Zap._

Mei Terumi picked up the remote control sitting on her desk and turned the television off. Sighing, the head of the underground mercenary group then turned around to face the people currently sitting on chairs or couches in her office – Uchiha Itachi, Sai, Umino Iruka and Namikaze Shiki herself.

Iruka sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, with the lot of them having their eyes glued to the television screen earlier. Mei had called them for a meeting that very morning to talk about the recent 'disease' going around. The ANBU may not be aware of what is exactly going on, but the underworld sure does, since they have always been well versed in mythology and legends regarding the Bijuu Nine and the Demon God.

"All right. This is getting way out of hand." Mei stated, looking from face to face. "We have to do something."

"Besides, if we don't do something soon, the Bijuu Nine will." Shiki stated, a dark look in her eyes. "And we won't like it. They have been noted in history records for taking…drastic action." She coughed.

Mei frowned. "Shiki, do you know something? We've never heard of something like this happening before."

Shiki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to ease her headache as everyone looked on with interest. "I've only heard of it. Well, read it actually," she stated. "In the old archives. I didn't think that it would happen so soon though." She frowned. "The Demon God is fast regaining his power and strength quickly."

"I've heard from Kisame that there has been a series of strange disappearances all over the country – mostly young people." Itachi added.

Shiki and Sai exchanged looks. "It's beginning then." Sai sighed. "The only way for the Demon God to regain his former strength and power is to absorb the life force of humans, normally young ones."

"But what is going on in this country now?" Itachi frowned. "And this infection thing?"

There was silence before Shiki grumbled something beneath her breath. "All right, I'm going to make this as simple for you as possible," she snapped. "The people getting infected by this 'Death Syndrome' or whatever that the ANBU is naming it, isn't unrelated to the Demon God. So far, all those infected, they have some sort of background with nin-users. Somewhere in their family tree, there is always a nin-user somewhere."

Mei nodded slowly.

"The ANBU aren't aware of it _yet,__" _said Shiki, emphasizing on the 'yet'. "Especially since we don't want to worsen things by having Tsunade make some stupid decision to arrest all nin-users or something. This country can't afford to have another civil war break out right now, atop of the internal war between the ANBU and the underground. It'll probably be the end of Japan, and it'll only make things worse than it is. But yes, Ragnarok and Baled have been investigating whilst _they _are too busy freaking their heads off." Shiki shook her head. "How that blonde bimbo ever managed to achieve her current position is beyond me. She'll sooner ruin this country than help it."

Itachi opened his mouth to protest before closing it again.

The past months when he is 'on the run' so to speak had opened his eyes a lot. He can understand why Ragnarok, Mist and Baled have been so jaded with the ANBU and the country. He can understand why Shiki had made all the decisions that she did, and just why Mist and the underworld have turned against ANBU and the High Council the way that they did.

"In history records, it is stated that the Demon God has a grudge against the Bijuu Nine, especially the leader, the Lord of Creation, the Kyuubi." Shiki explained. "And the nin-users of the land, at some point, we were all descended from them. Their blood runs in our veins. That is where the abilities of nin-users come from. My powers are stronger than my comrades, than most nin-users, because I am a direct descendant from the God of Creation. The Kyuubi, the Lord of the Bijuu Nine." Ignoring the shocked expressions, Shiki frowned. "I don't know what _exactly _happened between the gods over ten thousand years ago, but as the legend goes, there was a conflict between them that started the war that ended the era of the gods. At that time, when the Demon God…walked out on them, there was…an infection of sorts going around." Shiki glanced from face to face. "The same as what is happening now. That infection brought forth what was known as the Ten Plagues. The Demon God's fury over the 'betrayal' of his own creations. The ones infected with the Death Syndrome now are all those with the Potential, or those carrying the N-Gene."

* * *

_Somewhere Else  
__Unknown Location_

"The Ten Plagues?" Hoshigaki Kisame frowned, after having met up at some unknown location secretly with his younger sister. He could finally manage to get some time away, and had rung up his sister, wanting to get to the bottom of everything.

Hundreds of questions have been running through his head ever since he had seen the Demon God's revival with his own eyes less than a month ago.

Tsunade hadn't wanted to believe their 'ridiculous' story, but she has to, as both teams of Akatsuki and Rendoku, and not to mention several witness reports have claimed the same thing. They couldn't all be lying, right? But the reports of the Death Syndrome had then come in, and this matter was then tossed to one side.

Haku sighed. "It's an ancient legend, only mentioned once in _very _old historical archives with mentions of the Bijuu Nine and the Demon God during a time period known as the era of the gods," she explained. "Until now, no one really understood just why the Demon God had turned on the world, when he is the one who had liked humans the best among all the gods back then. But he did. And when he turned against the world, he brought forth the Ten Plagues. He is the god of disaster and destruction after all. The Ten Plagues were calamities that is said to symbolize the end of the world and the rise of the of darkness."

Haku cleared her throat. "'For this is what I've said. I created you; I am your father, your master, and you dared turned against me. Thus, I declare thee; no longer will the animals of the wild be your friend. The light will turn to eternal darkness, and the figures of worship will cry tears of blood. No longer will anything grow in your lands, the water of the rivers will turn to blood. Nature will be your worst enemy, and fire will no longer be your friend. You can no longer trust your eyes and Fear will be a commoncy. Death will reign upon the world, and there will be loud wailing upon the world – worse than there has ever been or ever will be again'."

Haku glanced at her brother. "It is a prophecy – a statement that the Demon God is said to have left behind when he snapped just before the war of the gods. The Ten Plagues were stated in that statement. The animals of the land will treat all humans as their foes. The sun will die, plunging this world into eternal darkness. The figurines of worship of every house, building and place will cry tears of blood. Nothing will grow in the land, no matter how fertile, and the water of the rivers everywhere will turn to blood. Mother Nature that had always protected and guided us will become our worst enemy – with famines, storms, hailstorms and even thunderstorms raining down on our heads. The fire that is the greatest gift that the gods have given us will no longer protect us. We will never be able to trust what our eyes could see, and fear will be stricken in the hearts of Man. The last plague is Death. The deaths of all humans, with maybe only a handful of survivors."

Haku glanced at her shocked brother, a grim look in her eyes. "It will be the end of the world."

* * *

_Mist's Headquarters  
__Unknown Location_

"N-Gene?" Itachi echoed in confusion. "What is that?"

"For goodness sake, what are they teaching you in the ANBU Academy these days?" Mei sighed in dismay.

"N-Gene. Also otherwise translated as Nin-user Gene." Sai explained. "It is a term used to describe the people with the DNA pattern who had the potential to be nin-users. That's the N-Gene. And the Death Syndrome is connected with the Demon God. If this is happening now, it only proves that Madara is getting his power back faster than we thought possible." He frowned. "This isn't going to be good."

**XXXXXX**

_Graveyard  
__Hagako, Japan_

Like always, the graveyard of Hagako is silent.

But this time, the silence…is kind of unsettling to Shiki.

In fact, it is the same everywhere now. Ever since the rumours of the Demon God have been spreading, everyone is afraid, especially with the recent Death Syndrome going around. There have even been several cults going around increasing the fear by proclaiming that the end of the world is near.

Namikaze Shiki sighed as she stood in front of Satochi Riku's gravestone, hands shoved into the pockets of her coat. "Hey Riku. If it's you, what would you do?" Shiki asked. "What will you do in this situation?" She nearly whispered. "I know that I said that I won't run anymore, but it's easier said than done."

She closed her eyes.

"_I wonder how much longer we can live like this." Satochi Riku murmured, placing a bouquet of white lilies before a gravestone. "Living on like this isn't a solution either. We have to do something about the chaotic era in Hagako now."_

_Namikaze Shiki laughed half-heartedly. "Saying something like that is easy. But doing it is another matter entirely."_

_Riku said nothing but looked back at the unmarked gravestone that the two are in front of. "Come to think of it, I remember something that one of my old gang members had said once," he said. "'When you lose someone, you realise just how much that person means to you. So maybe it's a good thing that they're gone. So you can see just how much that person means to you'."_

_Shiki said nothing for several moments, her eyes darkening considerably. "Yeah, I've heard the same thing somewhere before," she said at last. "Not in so many words, but still with the same meaning. He also said something else. 'The ones we love are never really gone, as long as you keep them close, in your heart'."_

_Riku was silent. "Maybe it's because we've already been involved with the underworld for a set number of years, and maybe because Hagako had always been at the heart of it all, but we tend to see a lot more of the darker side of the underworld," he said. "I've already long lost count just how many dead bodies that I've seen." His hands trembled. "And just many of those are attributed to me. I've walked the path of death, and I know what it cost me."_

_Shiki sighed. "Don't we all?" she said bitterly. "But we didn't have a choice. We didn't choose this path. Fate chose it for us…along with every other." She was silent for a long time. "Hey Riku. If there ever comes a day when we ever comes across an enemy…an undefeatable enemy. Someone that we knew, that you knew, that we could never hope to beat, but you **knew**that you have to, no matter the cost, what will you do?"_

_Riku was silent for a long time. "I will fight," he said at last. "I will choose to fight, no matter how desperate and helpless that it seems. I will continue fighting, no matter what. And even if nothing changes, I know that I won't regret it."_

Shiki opened her eyes, looking at Riku's name inscribed on the gravestone. "So that's how it is," she whispered. "That is your answer from back then, huh?" She mused. "This battle will be the last one. I said that I'd make a better world for you, for me, for all of us. This battle will determine it. I'm not going to give up when I've came this far." She smiled. "Thank you, Riku." She whispered. "This war… I'll end it. For you, for all of us."

She then turned to walk away.

_I don't intend to live through this either. The future… I will entrust it to them._

**XXXXXX**

"That woman, Senju Tsunade or whatever her name is, I'm starting to think that she ought to get her head checked out!" Sai was screaming as he dodged another swipe at his head, narrowly missing getting his head lobbed off his shoulders. "Who on earth in their right mind would _order _their subordinates to _stop _an _immortal_ _army_ of the _Demon_ _God?__"_

"Shut up and keep moving!" Itachi shouted back.

It was nearly two or so months ever since the meeting in Mei Terumi's office. Three months ever since the revival of the Demon God, and rumours of an 'immortal army' were spreading fast and wild. As such, when the latest rumour of the immortal army appearing near Labenden – a place that neither the ANBU nor Ragnarok had the greatest memory of, it doesn't thrill Akatsuki and Rendoku much when they were ordered there to 'stop' the immortal army and to 'take them into custody'.

Kisame is starting to believe his sister when she said that that woman is only leading the ANBU and Japan to ruin. Ragnarok, Baled and their individual leaders have said as much throughout the years, but he hadn't wanted to believe it. Then his belief was shaken even further when Itachi had 'left' the ANBU, and had also said the same thing.

Back to the original topic…

When the two ANBU teams have arrived at their destination, they immediately knew that it is a very bad and stupid idea to go there. Both their teams were designed for combat battles, _not_ siege attacks! In a matter of moments, nearly half of their teams were immediately out of commission. Thankfully, they were only knocked out, _not_ dead.

Itachi and Sai have then turned up from out of nowhere just as the remaining members were wondering what to do. And not for nothing either is Itachi known as the _best_ nin-user that the ANBU has. He had called upon as much of his power as he could, forming one of the most powerful blasts that Kisame had ever seen him call upon before, practically roasting the 'immortal army'. And then who should turn up but the boss himself?

_The Demon God._

And thus, this explains just why all those who are currently conscious are currently running for their lives.

"Oh my god!"

"Sasuke!"

Itachi whipped his head around at the mere mention of his brother's name only to see the Demon God bearing down on his kid brother. Without even thinking, the older Uchiha immediately found himself in front of his brother just as a blast of dark miasma blasted him in the chest. Shocked looks appeared on the faces of everyone present as Itachi was sent reeling across the ground, crimson blood pooling around his body.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke screamed, running to his brother, with Kisame and Shikamaru close behind him.

"_Pathetic humans."_

"We have to get out of here." Shikamaru breathed heavily. "I have no idea what Tsunade-sama is thinking as well, but we will only be seeking our deaths if we remain here. And then again…" He glanced at his unconscious comrades and a near death's door Uchiha Itachi. "I have no idea how we're going to get them all out of here alive as well. It's going to take a miracle in order to do that."

Shikamaru's miracle dropped out of the sky on him. Literally.

Kisame's eyes threatened to bulge out as Shiki, Haku, Neji and Yugito fell out of some void in the sky. Little did he know that Yugito's ability don't only allow her to create pocket dimensions of her own. She can also create rips in space to transport herself to one place to another. That ability of hers had came in useful for Ragnarok at times when they need to make a quick escape.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "N-Namikaze!"

Shiki glanced over her shoulder only to have her eyes darken when she saw Itachi's state. Having been involved in the underworld for as long as she does, she knew the seriousness of Itachi's condition. "Haku. Yugito."

"On it." Both girls nodded before scurrying to Itachi's side.

"This is going to be troublesome." Neji stated as he stepped by Shiki's side, flexing his fingers, ready to cast a powerful barrier at any moment. "We're dead if he so much as touches us with that miasma."

"Yeah, I know." Shiki nodded, her eyes darkening. "Are the others in position?"

"Yeah, seems to be." Neji nodded, glancing over the unconscious bodies of the ANBUs only to see flickering shadows by them. "We're ready to move them at a moment's notice."

"_Ho?__" _The Demon God hissed, having regained more of a humanoid appearance. Neji is sure that once upon a time, the Demon God must be majestic and handsome looking as well. But right now, he seems more like something out of a horror movie. _"__You __have __his __scent __on __you. __I __will __never __forget __that __scent. __Not __even __for __a __second, __in __ten __thousand __years. __So __you__'__re __his __descendant. __A __direct __descendant.__" _He hissed. _"__I __thought __that __there __wouldn__'__t __be __any __left __now.__"_

"The Demon God, Madara." Shiki stated, narrowing her eyes. "I see that you've regained much of your power back quicker than anticipated. I take it that the disappearances of the people two months ago is your work?" She stated more than questioned. Shiki was nervous. _'__This __isn__'__t __good. __I __didn__'__t __think __that __he __would __actually __appear. __More __importantly, __we __have __to __get __them __out __of __here. __We __can__'__t __face __the __Demon __God __right __now __and __hope __to __win. __He __is __a __god!__'_

"Neji, on my command." Shiki spoke in a low tone to Neji who nodded and flexed his fingers. Behind them, Haku was getting ready to move as well, remembering Shiki's words to them on board Exilia when they were making their way here.

* * *

_Flashback Starts:_

"I won't lie to you guys." Shiki said as she detailed her plan. "It is going to be _very_ risky, as there is always the chance, no matter how small, that the boss himself might turn up. Thus, we have to travel in small numbers. Sumaru told me that he'd sent some of his people there as well to collect the ANBU guys." She looked at the unhappy looks of her comrades and sighed. "Look, I know that you guys are not that overly fond of them, and neither am I. But we can't just leave them to die like this. Against an enemy like the Demon God, we have to join forces."

There were muttering, and Gaara scowled, looking away. "I'm no murderer, Shiki," he stated. "I kill people, yes, but I _don__'__t_ kill people who don't deserve it. If you say that you want to save them, I'll help you."

He got various nods from the others for that.

"What the hell is that stupid woman thinking anyway, sending two teams out there to their deaths without any backup whatsoever?" Neji grunted. "She thinks that they're immortal or something? Unlike popular belief, we _do_ get hurt and die."

"Yeah well. Our best chance to get away at present is a distraction," said Shiki with a cough to interrupt Neji's tirade, knowing from personal experience that if she don't interrupt him, he'll carry on until the next day. "Thus, this is where Neji and Haku comes in."

"Me?" Haku blinked.

Shiki nodded. "We have to time this right in order to make our getaway," she explained. "Haku and Neji, I need you both to create a misty fog and the strongest physical barrier that you can make respectively. This will distract Madara enough for us to be able to get away."

_End Flashback:_

* * *

"Block. Guard. And parry. All things physical, shut them out." Neji stated as a pale green barrier formed around the Demon God.

At the same time, Haku was focusing on creating a cloud of mist and fog around them. "Fog of confusion, shroud and cover all!" In a matter of moments, a large mist covered everything and everyone, and Ragnarok immediately took that as their cue to carry the unconscious ANBUs out of the danger zone.

"I cannot beat you." Shiki stated, glancing up at the form of the Demon God. "At least, for now. I'll just withdraw here for now."

"We're running away?" Sasuke questioned even as Shiki grabbed him by the shoulder.

Shiki shot him a look. "You think you could beat _that?__"_ She gestured towards the Demon God. "If you can't even judge the differences in power between the both of you, you should get your eyes checked." Sasuke was stumped. "We're leaving."

**XXXXXX**

"This doesn't look good." Haku stated an hour later, when most of the ANBUs have already long regained consciousness, and are currently watching the medics in their midst – Haku, Yugito and Konan pouring as much healing power as they possibly could into Itachi. "His wounds aren't closing up at all. It's probably due to the Demon God's miasma. It is all that I could do to stop his organs from deteriorating. The miasma is too deep into his system. If this keeps up, he will die."

Sasuke felt his heart dropping straight into his boots as he eyed the three medics working on his brother in the middle of nowhere anxiously. Right now, he doesn't care that he's with the group that the entire country had been after for the past nine or so years. He cares about his brother's _life_ more right now than some order that he doesn't even like in the first place anyway.

"Can't you do anything for him?" he asked desperately. "Can't you help him?"

Yugito bit on her bottom lip, glancing from Haku to Neji then to Shiki and back to Sasuke. "I don't see how we can save him," she said hesitantly. "Not even Shiki can do anything at this point with her power."

"No, there is something that we can try," said Shiki, narrowing her eyes. Anyone who doesn't know her will find it shocking that she doesn't seem affected by her boyfriend's state. But to the members of Ragnarok and Sai, they can see that she is a walking bundle of nerves at present, and is close to breaking point. The redhead glanced at Yugito. "We have to call upon 'their' aid."

Yugito's eyes widened, before narrowing. "Shiki, are you sure? Calling upon 'their' aid means taking _them_ to…" She trailed off uneasily, glancing at the ANBUs. "I don't know if it's a good idea."

"What are you talking about?" Kiba questioned, but everyone ignored him.

Shiki sighed. "It's the only way. Can you call upon 'their' power?"

Yugito frowned. "Well, I hadn't used their power for some time, so I guess that I could," she mused.

"What are you talking about? Is there a way to help my brother?" Sasuke asked hopefully.

Shiki sighed, studying Sasuke for several moments. "Can we trust you?" she questioned bluntly. _"__All_ of you." She glanced at the other ANBUs. "There is something that we can try to save Itachi's life, but we have to bring you there, and even so, there is no guarantee that he will survive. If so, you have to choose one side, as there is no way that we will allow an ANBU dog to come with us into the holy land. If you can't do it, then leave now and we will pretend that we never saw you." Her eyes turned hard and cold. "Now choose."

Sasuke answered almost immediately, almost desperate even. Well, _that_ is his brother lying over there. "My place is with my brother," he stated. "The only reason why I'm in the ANBU is because of him anyway."

"Okay. You can come with us," said Shiki. "The rest of you?"

"We've wanted to leave ever since Itachi left anyway," said Deidara with a shrug. "You Ragnarok and Baled might call us cowards for our commander's actions, and you might be right, but you people are free. You aren't caged in like us. We didn't have a choice in what we have to do. It's either obey or die for us. We never did like what our commander had ordered us to do. When Itachi left, we wanted to follow as well. He's our only captain, the only one we will accept. We will accept no other. We will follow no other."

"I guess that applies for Akatsuki." Neji stated. He glances at Rendoku. "You people?"

Chouji bit on his lower lip. Like his comrades, he likes Sasuke a lot and respects him, knowing that Sasuke is the only captain whom he will accept. But the guys that they're going to be following after they've 'deserted' are the same ones who have killed all those people. Who have killed Sakura and Ino. But…

The plump boy glances over at Shikamaru only to see that he is sitting next to Sasuke, looking bored. So he's made his decision, not that Chouji is surprised. Shikamaru had never liked how the ANBU had worked anyway, and he only stayed on in the ANBU because he knew that Sasuke needs the support, especially after his brother had deserted.

Chouji sighed. "I'm in."

"Kiba? Lee?"

The two boys exchanged worried looks.

This is a major decision.

If they follow, they will be branded traitors, and will be hunted down for the rest of their days. If they return to the ANBU, life wouldn't be any better off for them there. At the very least, with Ragnarok, they knew them to be blunt and wouldn't bother to sugarcoat their words. In the ANBU, life with them is rather akin to walking in a forest full of tigers. You have to be careful with your words or it's off to the gallows for you.

"Be honest with yourself." Shikamaru spoke up, looking towards their direction. "You know that you wanted to leave the ANBU a long time ago. Like you, I was naïve once upon a time. I believed in the talk of justice and goodness that the ANBU talked about, only to learn that this is all a scam when I became one myself. But by then, it was already too late."

"Kiba, Lee, please!" Sasuke pleaded. "My brother's life is at stake here! He's the only family I have left! I can't lose him too! I've never begged you for anything before, but I'm begging you now! I don't want to fight you guys as well. And neither do I want to see you continue making the mistakes that we've been doing so far! Where is the justice in a _massacre?_ Is _that_ the justice that they've spoken of? Please! Open your eyes!"

Lee and Kiba exchanged looks before nodding as one.

"All right." Shiki spoke up. She then straightened herself up. "We're taking Exilia there. It's the fastest mode of transport. If we rush it…" She glanced at Itachi and back to Yugito. "We might still make it in time."

**XXXXXX**

_Forbidden Village  
__Unknown Location_

Neji and Gaara steered Exilia the most recklessly than they've ever steered in their entire lives. Even when they were using a boathouse as their headquarters, they've never driven this recklessly before. But both boys knew that they couldn't let Uchiha Itachi die as well. They don't like the guy, and they might be killers, but both boys aren't murderers.

Furthermore, this is for Shiki's sake as well.

"We're here." Gaara announced from the front, propelling Exilia to the surface waters, and pressing several buttons to open the bridge.

"All right, hurry!" Yugito stated, leading the way out of Exilia, as Nagato and Sasori carried Itachi by his shoulders and feet, following Yugito out as fast as they could, with the rest of the ANBU, along with Ragnarok, close behind them.

The ANBUs were almost mesmerized by the sight of the forest of silver trees. So mesmerized that they almost didn't notice the silvery-white palace-like building in the middle of a circle of silver trees that emanated some strange power, or that Yugito was leading them straight further deeper into the forest where there is a 'ring' of silvery-white trees around the ground where there is no grass growing. And even the grass in this place is silver-white in colour. Yet for some reason, it doesn't seem ominous.

"What is this place?" Konan wondered, looking around her. "It feels…comforting." She tried to find the correct term to describe it. "Warm even. Like this is a…safe haven."

"This is the Forbidden Forest." Hinata answered, not looking at any of them. "A safe haven for nin-users." She looked at Konan. "The birthplace of the Bijuu Nine. The birthplace of the first nin-users. The place where it all begun. And where it all would end."

"I'm going to have to come back later." Konan muttered, nearly missing the fact that Yugito had just directed Nagato and Sasori to lay Itachi down in the middle of the 'ring'.

Hinata and Haku have both walked forwards wordlessly, with some silver-white tree vines in their arms, even as they wrapped Itachi's limbs gently with it. The vines pulsed with a soft green light as they did so.

"Yugito, are you ready?" Tenten called out.

"Yeah." Yugito nodded before removing her shoes and coat, walking into the middle of the ring, just by Itachi, closing her eyes.

"Back away." Shiki instructed the ANBUs, having seen Yugito do this only once when they've taken Temari here in order for Yugito to heal her. "Do not stand anywhere near the ring once it starts. Yugito might take your life force by mistake."

"Huh?" Deidara nearly had question marks over his head.

"Yugito's power is power over the dead." Neji answered. "She can control and manipulate the dead. And she also has some form of control over time manipulation. She can even treat the most serious of injuries with power from this place. When she 'heals' using power from the Forbidden Forest, she is taking the life force and power from the trees here to do that."

"The trees here have some mythical power." Temari who had been rather silent all along spoke up, not looking at anyone. "They never die. Not in this place they won't. This is the birthplace of the Bijuu Nine after all. Where the sacred Bijuu Shrine stands. Nothing will die in this place."

"Yugito's starting." Shiki shushed them.

Yugito stretched her arms out towards the heavens, with the moonlight shining down on her, still with her eyes closed. "I see nothing. I hear nothing. The first bell calls upon the Birth. The start of all." The ANBUs weren't sure if they were hearing things or not, as they distinctly hear the light tinkle of a bell. "The second bell calls upon the Death. The end of everything." _Tinkle._ "The third bell calls upon the Rebirth. The start of a new beginning."

_Tinkle._

Yugito opened her eyes to reveal light glowing cat-like eyes as she then lowered her arms. "I am the key that binds all. I am the Eye that sees all. I call upon the aid of those that resides in this sacred land. I ask for your help to restore his life. His time is not near. It is not his end. I hereby call upon the aid of the Bijuu Nine that grants this world their existence, all things living their life, the fire their light, the night their darkness. Grant him his Rebirth. Let him walk among us once more!"

Shiki bit on her lower lip. _'__Please. __I__'__ve __never __asked __you __for __anything __before. __But __if __You __truly __do __exist, __just __grant __me __this __one __wish. __Just __this __one __simple __wish. __Don__'__t __let __him __die. __I__'__ll __take __on __his __sins. __You __can __punish __me __any way __that __You __deem __fit. __Just__…__don__'__t __take __Itachi __away!__'_

A tear fell unnoticed from Shiki's eye.

**XXXXXX**

_A pale thin hand reached out and touched the pool of water that formed a ripple, with several more ripples forming from that one ripple alone. A handsome rare smile lit up his face, that though handsome, showed great wisdom and the weariness of having the world's burdens upon his shoulders._

_He gazed at the pool of water that showed his most faithful follower. His most faithful one. The only one who has never lost faith in him and his comrades. The only one who still believed in him, no matter what she has to endure._

_He moved his right arm over the water, with the sleeve of his white robe moving with the motion of his arm, with the image on the water turning into the face of his most faithful follower. A smile adorned his lips, and his crimson-red eyes softened._

"_My child," he murmured, almost as if speaking to the air, his gaze never once moving away from the girl in the water. His majestic-looking white robes flowed around him almost like water. "You have never lost faith in me, no matter what you have to endure, living in an era where the tales of the Gods of Creation have long been forgotten. Likewise, I will never abandon you." He smiled, his eyes softening. "You have been my most faithful and devoted, and I shall reward your faith. Like you, that child is destined for something great. It is not his time yet."_

_His other hand moved around in a slow arc, the several rings on his fingers glowing slightly. "I will unlock his true powers, as I will yours," he whispered. "It is time. This war might just be the last. The one that will truly end the era of the gods. I am sorry, my child, but you might just have to suffer a bit longer. I promise. I swear to you. Once this is all over, I shall make it all up to you. Until then, please stay strong. But if it's you, I believe that you can do it."_

**XXXXXX**

Night had long fallen, and Neji, Gaara and Haku were currently roasting whatever food that they could find over a fire in the middle of the forest, with some of the Akatsuki guys helping them out. Shiki hadn't released the seal on the Bijuu Shrine, and thus, none of them could get in. No one had the guts to ask her to either.

Hinata had also set up a tent where Itachi is currently resting in, with Sasuke sitting by his bedside.

Nagato gazed at the two pale gravestones in the part of the Forbidden Forest that is used as a cemetery. The two gravestones that he is looking at are considerably larger than the other unmarked gravestones, with the names engraved on the two gravestones having faded with time.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Nagato turned only to see Haku approaching him.

"What are you doing here?" Haku asked, but not in a rude or demanding way.

"Paying my respects." Nagato answered honestly, turning his attention back to the gravestones. "I never like seeing graves." He admitted. "It reminds me of too many deaths. Deaths that I could have prevented, but failed to do so." He sighed. He glanced at Hinata. "Who does these graves belongs to?" He asked, gesturing towards the two graves that he is standing in front of. "It seems better maintained and well taken of, compared to the others."

Haku said nothing for several moments, squatting down to the ground, clasping both hands together and muttering a small prayer beneath her breath. She squatted there for several moments before getting to her feet again. "Shiki's parents." She answered at last, getting a shocked look from Nagato. She sighed. "Though it is more like memorials, since she's never been able to find their bodies. There are two more in Natsuki." She glanced at Nagato. "I've asked Shiki about her past once – the past that all of us were curious about, but never dared to ask. She has never really been all that forthcoming about her past. I've asked her about it once several years ago during a time when she is more willing to talk about it. She said…" Haku struggled with her words. "She said that she doesn't even remember her parents' faces anymore."

Nagato had a shocked look on his face. "Doesn't remem—" He started.

"Yeah. Doesn't remember." Haku nodded grimly. "Her godfather came by a few times, and I've asked him about it. He said that despite him having found Shiki when she was pretty young, he didn't really raise her. Shiki raised herself. He only checked in every now and then to make sure that she's doing fine. He has an important job after all. Despite how young she is at that time, Shiki understood. I asked Jiraiya-sama about it. He said that Shiki's parents passed on when she was about a year old or two. Later on, she was passed around from orphanage to orphanage. Foster home to foster home like she's an unwanted child. Such is the fate of a nin-user." Haku bit on her lower lip. "Jiraiya-sama doesn't know anymore than that. He only found Shiki when she ran away from the last foster home that she's placed with, and ended up in Hagako." Haku turned towards Nagato. "We might look like this, but we know what we're doing. We went through what nin-users went through in Japan. The nin-users that you lot prosecuted way too often. Like what you've done to Tenten before we've saved her."

Nagato flinched. "We never wanted to—"

"I know that." Haku sighed. "It's been a long time coming, this war. And now, who even knows what is going to happen?"

"What is this place?" Nagato asked.

"The Forbidden Forest." Haku answered. "The place where it had all begun. And where it all would end." She sighed. "There are many reasons behind Ragnarok's founding in the first place. But one of the main ones is the Demon God. We've been trying to find a way to stop him for years, and now, because of you people, we have failed."

Nagato flinched. "And you honestly think that this justifies the killing of innocent people?" he retorted.

"To stop that monster? Let me think." Haku took on a mock thinking pose. _"__Yes!__"_ Nagato was speechless at that. "You don't know what is at stake here. If Madara ever returns to full power, it'll be the end of the world. Before that can happen, we have to stop him, no matter the cost. But whatever that Shiki has planned, I will follow her." Haku declared. "No matter what she has decided. Even if she ever decides to run away, even if it is a battle to the death, even if it is to take over the world, I will follow her. Everyone in Ragnarok and Baled feels the same." Haku smiled a small smile.

"_We've made our decision, Shiki."_

_Gaara took in a deep breath before speaking once more, looking at Shiki in the eye. "We've decided, Shiki. We will follow you. Right to the end."_

"That's why…" Haku trailed off, looking at Nagato straight in the eye. "This is what I've decided. What everyone has decided. I'm in this with her. Until the end."

**XXXXXX**

Sasuke gave a start as the flap of the tent was pushed apart, and he turned around only to see Namikaze Shiki walking into the tent. The redhead said nothing as she stood by Sasuke's side, staring down at his sleeping brother with an odd look in her eyes.

"Yugito-san said that he'd be fine." Sasuke broke the silence. "She said that his body accepted the power of the Forbidden Forest, of the Bijuu Nine." Sasuke sighed in relief, clasping one of his brother's heavily bandaged hands into his own. "It was such a close one." He whispered. "I was just this close to losing him."

"You should have more faith in your brother." Shiki stated. "He won't die that easily. And he won't give up that easily either."

Sasuke smiled bitterly. "I wish that I could have more faith in him like you do," he said. "That's why, this is what I think: that you are truly the one meant for him." He smiled up at Shiki. "You understand him in ways that even I don't understand. I am his brother, but I believe that you will be the one to be his side through thick and thin, until his death. He truly loves you. That's why, please don't be so reckless. You can't die."

"I'll be fine." Shiki stated. "I can't afford to fall right now. Too much is at stake." Sasuke turned surprised eyes up at her. "What? Feel surprised that we seem human?" Shiki said sarcastically. "You might not want to believe it, but in the end, we are as human as you. The ANBU and the world just never want to see it."

Sasuke turned his eyes back down onto his sleeping brother. "Why… Why did you create Ragnarok? Why did you do what you did?" he asked.

Shiki was silent for several moments. "Your brother asked me the same question once," she said at last. "I was angry. Angry at the world. At the stupid ANBU who does nothing about the pain and suffering. At the High Council who gains more power at the expense of people's lives and suffering. And gradually, I became sick and tired of it all. I have no idea when that anger actually became hatred for the world. Blade's demise only added fuel to it. And then… I met my current friends." Shiki formed fists in her pockets. "And then I decided that I want to change it. Change the world. Everything. I want to change it. Make a world where Riku…everyone can live without fear. Never having to wonder again if we can even live to see tomorrow's sunrise."

Shiki's eyes darkened over.

"_It's beautiful…" Shiki muttered, leaning against the orange haired boy in the lifeboat as the waves lapped against the sides gently. She reached one hand out towards the slowly rising sun, as if trying to catch it, even as the skies turned a beautiful red-orange slowly. "I didn't think that I would get to see it again…"_

"_I kept my promise to you." The boy murmured in her ear, holding her close to him, not wanting to let go of the only person whom he is familiar with at this point, and who made him feel safe. He doesn't trust the ANBUs present. Not in the least. "I promised you that I would show you the sunrise. That we would get to see the next one. That we would escape alive. I promised you that."_

"_You did." Shiki agreed, feeling extremely weak from having gone without any food for nearly a week. "You also promised that we would get to see each other again. You will tell me your real name, right?"_

_The boy smiled. "Yeah. Once we see each other again in the outside world."_

"But in the end, he couldn't keep that promise, as I received word that he died a few years later." Shiki mused, turning her suspiciously moist eyes away from Sasuke who looked away uncomfortably. Knowing Shiki like how he does now, he knew that the leader of Ragnarok is stubborn to the point of obstinate, and that she wouldn't want anyone to see her crying. "Probably, it's because of him that I created Ragnarok for. He wanted to change the world. Abolish the world of any wars, pain and suffering. Abolish the injustice of the system. He can't do it. Then I shall do it for him."

Sasuke stood up awkwardly. "I'll go and get some dinner," he said, and Shiki nodded, saying nothing even as he exited the tent, and his footsteps faded away.

Shiki sighed softly as she occupied the chair that Sasuke had been occupying moments prior, eyeing Itachi's unconscious form. He pretty much had bandages around his chest, his shirt unbuttoned, along with bandages around his forehead and a gauze on his left cheek. Both his arms were bandaged heavily as well.

_**I always want to see you  
**__**And touch you more  
**__**Your face  
**__**And your beautiful fingertips  
**__**Why are you going far away from me?**_

"_Why did you kill Kankuro?"_

"_You've never thought about it, have you?" Shiki questioned. "How selfish can you be?" She wiped away the tears slowly pooling around her eyes. "I know it. I always knew all along that our relationship can never amount to anything much. Not as long as you are ANBU and I am Ragnarok. Let's…not see each other anymore."_

_**Even though I close my eyes  
**__**And cover my ears  
**__**That shy smile  
**__**And that warm memory  
**__**I cannot forget it even now**_

"_Please Shiki. Don't run from me."_

_**Gently teach me about love  
**__**Why did you say goodbye?  
**__**Without any words  
**__**Time passing by  
**__**My heart is breaking**_

'_Our time together…has come to an end.'_

'_Goodbye.'_

_**Gently give me love  
**__**Why are you disappearing?  
**__**Still unable to throw those memories  
**__**Even without any answers  
**__**This endless love overflows without any sound**_

_**I yearn only for you  
**__**I continue to wait only for you  
**__**If I look above the distant sky  
**__**I'll feel like crying**_

"_Raise your head and look at me, Uchiha Itachi." Shiki commanded harshly, and Itachi looked at her with surprised eyes. "You don't get to die." She stated. "You can be cruel as an ANBU, but I can be even more so. I'll make you withstand the punishment. You are now a traitor to the ANBU. I want you to be the one to fight against your once comrades, protecting the comrades and friends of the very people whom you have caused the deaths of. I want you to realise that you will be the reason why ANBU will be swooping down on Baled like bees to honey. I want you to accept your punishment like the man that you are." Shiki took one step forward and grabbed him by his collar, yanking him forward. "Furthermore, I was the one to save your life! You don't get to die unless I say so!"_

_**Without any warnings or signs  
**__**Even we face the time of our parting  
**__**Without any words  
**__**I wish to hold you  
**__**To my most precious one  
**__**I will send you my love**_

"_Because I'm getting you away from here. The war that we're in right now with the ANBU is going to get fiercer. And I know you. I know you would never be able to fight seriously against your once comrades. But if you don't take it seriously, you'll die. That's why I'm getting you away from here. Forget everything, Itachi. Forget about this place. Forget that you had been an ANBU. Forget about **me.** If you continue to remain here, you'll die. Either by your once comrades' hand, or by yourself."_

_**Even though I close my eyes  
**__**And cover my ears  
**__**That shy smile  
**__**And that warm memory  
**__**I would certainly not forget it**_

"_Having any regrets?"_

Shiki sighed. "No matter how much I run, it seems like I will never be able to run away from you, huh?" she murmured. "How pathetic can I be? Why must I fall in love with you? Why someone like you? If Fate hadn't deemed it so, if only you hadn't appeared in my life, things wouldn't have been so complicated. You would have been able to continue living as an ANBU, oblivious to everything. I would have been able to continue on as always, without any hesitation whatsoever." She sighed. "But it's all too late now, huh?"

_Shiki… Run!_

_Juugo! Have you gone mad?_

_To the end…am I…of some use to you?_

_I've never regretted it, Shiki, no matter what you think. I've never regretted knowing you, joining Blade. My time with Blade…is the happiest in my life. It…is my treasure._

_In the end, I've…been a terrible friend, huh? Sorry Shiki. For everything… Be stronger than anyone else. Do not bow to anyone. You are better than that. Be that…who I couldn't be. That is you! Namikaze Shiki!_

"The road to peace is always paved with the blood of war." Shiki murmured, clutching at the silver cross pendant that she had started wearing around her neck not long after Madara had been awakened. "Riku, you just might be right about that."

"_Beautiful…" Hotaru whispered, staring up at the flowering sakura tree in awe. "It's finally spring."_

"_Let's make a promise." Riku grinned at Shiki as they stood at the foot of the flowering sakura tree._

"_What kind of promise?" Shiki asked, raising one eyebrow._

"_No matter what happens, and what decisions we will make in the future, we'll always be friends, right?" Riku smiled._

_Sumaru stared at Riku as if he was crazy. "What brings that on all of a sudden?" He wanted to know._

"_Nothing will change." Shiki stated, taking one step closer to the tree, pressing one hand against the bark of the tree. The rest of Blade watched on, silent. "Nothing will." She repeated her words as if trying to reassure herself. "I swear it."_

"But it did." Shiki muttered. "I was too naïve to think otherwise. That is the harsh reality of the world." She closed her eyes momentarily. "Sara. Jun. Suigetsu. Riku." She whispered. "I said that I'd stop running. I'll live on. I'll live on for you. But it's easier said than done."

_This war will end. I'll end it— I'll end it for you._

* * *

_A/N: I've been listening to the OSTs of You're Beautiful and Ikemen Desu Ne on repeat recently after having gotten into the Korean and Japanese drama series. To those who haven't watched it, go and watch it. It is extremely addicting, and a great show!_

_So, the story is fast entering the climax. I won't spoil you the ending I have in mind for this, but do keep in mind that this is **Tragedy.**_

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_

* * *

_**Upcoming Stories:**_

_**You're Still Beautiful (You're Beautiful)**_

_A twist on the main story. What if it's Go Mi-nyeo that AJ Entertainment wanted right from the beginning? Only one problem: the rest of the AN-JELL boys weren't aware of her true gender. JxT_

* * *

_**Preview of Next Chapter:**_

"_They have to know. They have to know what they're getting into."_

"_Show me your resolve!"_

"_Are you trying to kill us?"_

"_The Nonary Game. It is a game where we put our lives on the line."_

"_I'm sorry, Shiki. The rest is up to you."_

"_It's been a long time, Danzo."_


	35. Resolve of the Heart

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Five: Resolve of the Heart**

_Bijuu Shrine  
__Forbidden Forest_

In a rather large circular room with several levels to it, Namikaze Shiki could be found squatting at the edge of the rather large pool in the middle of the room, peering into the aqua blue-green waters.

Like everywhere in the Forbidden Forest, even this place felt holy. It is bound to be, since this is the birthplace of the Gods of Creation, the sacred shrine that is holy to the nin-users – the only safe sanctuary for them. Several large coloured crystals hovered in mid-air around the pool, held up by seemingly nothing.

Namikaze Shiki sighed, as she got to her feet, approaching the largest crystal of all that nearly reaches the second level of the room, being a mixture of aqua-green, blue and dark purple in colour. The crystal hovered above the waters of the pool, where there were large statues of the Gods of Creation around the pool.

The redhead said nothing for several moments, as she stared at the middle statue among the nine statues that depicted a majestic-looking and powerful man with hair reaching down to mid-back. And like the other statues, his face was impassive.

"Is this what you'd meant back then, Kyuubi-sama?" Shiki nearly whispered, her hands clenching itself into fists. "Is this my punishment? Or is this karma? Tell me."

But there was no answer. And she didn't expect one either.

Soft footsteps echoed just then, and Shiki half-turned in her step only to see Gaara approaching her, an impassive look on his face.

It had been nearly a week ever since they've brought the ANBUs here, and there was already an uproar back in the city about a 'mass desertion from the ANBU'. Thus far, Shiki had shut herself in the Bijuu Shrine, only allowing Gaara, Haku and Neji to enter. Ragnarok knew from personal experience that when Shiki had that look on her face, you'd do well to obey. The ANBUs – especially Rendoku, had to learn the hard way just what they had meant.

"Haku sent me in to ask you something." Gaara answered the unasked question. Ragnarok had taken it in turns to do some guard duty around the perimeters of the Forbidden Forest as well as the Bijuu Shrine itself. Not that they think anyone can find the Forbidden Forest, but you never know. "She wants to know if we should tell the ANBUs anymore about what we've been doing. Her brother and a few of the ANBUs have been asking questions. There's only so much that we can evade."

Shiki was silent before she answered again, turning her attention back towards the statues of the Bijuu Nine. "They have to know," she said at last. "They have to know what they're getting themselves into. Let them in."

"Okay." Gaara then turned and left.

Shiki sighed as she looked up at the statue of the God of Creation once more. "Am I doing the right thing here?" she wondered. "This war…will be the last. I'll end it— I'll end it with me."

* * *

Tension between the ANBUs and Ragnarok, along with the few members of Baled who occasionally popped by is still up in the air. Nearly a decade of fighting and hatred isn't something that can just be shrugged off.

Akatsuki got along better with Ragnarok, though not to the point of bosom friends, with both merely having mutual understanding and respect for each other. Though that is all that it is. Rendoku, on the other hand… Most of their members were young and hotheaded. And it is all that Itachi, Kisame, Haku, Shino and Hinata could do to stop the younger _ex-_ANBU agents and Ragnarok from killing each other.

Though one thing that all former ANBU agents have in common is that they all wanted answers. And with Ragnarok's captain disappearing into the Bijuu Shrine less than two hours after Uchiha Itachi had returned to the world of the living, with Ragnarok refusing to let anything disrupt her, they were all on pins and needles.

And now, the former ANBUs were all a tad bit nervous as they tagged along after Gaara and Haku as they led the way to where Namikaze Shiki was, with Temari and Tenten taking over as guard duty for the Bijuu Shrine.

Namikaze Shiki was standing at the edge of the pool in this large circular room when they've arrived, her back to them, arms folded across her chest. Haku and Gaara remained on either side of the entrance of the circular room, leaning against the walls, watching the former ANBUs critically.

For several moments, neither side said anything before Shiki broke the uneasy silence as Kiba was about to open his mouth.

"What do you want to know?"

Sasuke stepped forward. "What is happening now?" he asked the question currently on everyone's minds. "Who or what is the Demon God, is Madara? What _are_ the nin-users? What has the Bijuu Nine got to do with everything that is happening now? You know something, don't you? I know you do. We have a right to know!"

Shiki was silent for several moments before she half-turned to face them. "Before I tell you everything that is happening now, I have to first start from the very beginning – the origins of the world, the birth of the Bijuu Nine and the one now known as the Demon God, and also the rise and fall of the time period known as the era of the gods," she said. "How much do you know about the time period known as the era of the gods – nearly ten thousand years ago?"

"Only what was said in legends," said Shikamaru with a shrug, and everyone nodded. "That the very first living creatures were the Bijuu Nine themselves – each of them born from the elements of the world, with the God of Creation being the most powerful of them all, being born from the will of the world, holding unlimited power."

Shiki sighed. "Well, that isn't wholly wrong," she said. "To understand what is going on now, you have to first understand the entire story circulating around the Gods of Creation and the God of Destruction, also now known as the Demon God. The world itself, the Universe, gave birth to the Bijuu Nine, or the Bijuu Ten, as they were originally known as. The more tails they have, the more powerful they are. Thus, Kyuubi, the God of Creation, the Nine Tails, is their leader, and the most powerful. The God of Destruction, also now known as the Demon God, Madara, is special. He is the _Zero __Tail.__"_

"Zero Tail…" Sasori murmured. He met Shiki's solemn eyes. He had never seen eyes like that before – so full of sorrow, loneliness, weariness, heavy with the world's burdens, and also so full of…regret. "What is he?"

"If Kyuubi, the God of Creation, is the god with the unlimited power, the Lord of the Gods, then Madara, the God of Destruction, is the god with limitless power." Shiki explained. "If the One through Nine Tails are the _ying_ of this world – the positive energy, then Madara is the _yang_ of this world – the negative energy. Balance _must_ be kept at all times. Thus, the Zero Tail holds power comparable to nine of the gods. That is how powerful he is. But unlike them, he wields negative energy. The Bijuu Ten created the world, created all things living. Created everything that we now know. Along with Kyuubi, Madara created the humans. But he is also the most feared god because of his fearsome power. He is the God of Destruction – he _destroys._ And soon, Madara became known as the Demon God."

"Demon God…" Konan muttered. "What is he?"

"He is known by many names, depending on which part of the world that you're in." Shiki sighed. "Hydra. Jormungand. White Snake. Yamato. Along many others. He is one of the most powerful gods, and was one of those responsible for the creation of the world. And also responsible for the near destruction of the world."

Everyone's hearts turned cold at this statement. Near destruction of the world?

"W-What do you mean?" Lee choked out.

Shiki glanced over them before turning her attention back towards the statues of the Bijuu Nine. "Madara is the Zero Tail, the God of Destruction," she said simply. "He is the _yang,_ the negative energy. He represents the bad part of everything. Thus, even though he is responsible for what the world is today, the humans don't see it that way. They adore the other gods of the Bijuu Ten, and on Worship Day, it is always the other gods who gets the best worshipping parts. He only gets the worse. He…is the most hated god. Anything bad that happens, Madara is always the one blamed, never the other gods. He bore it for as long as he could. But even there is a limit to how much he can take. One day, he finally snapped."

"The war of the gods." Itachi muttered, realising just what it meant now.

Shiki nodded, turning her attention back to them. "That's right. Madara left the world of the gods, and turned against the world, the gods, the humans. It resulted in what we now know as the war of the gods, the greatest war ever waged that had nearly resulted in the destruction of the world, and ended the era of the gods. The war lasted for ten full days, and at the end of it, Madara was sealed away at the expense of the very existences of the gods themselves in the mortal plane. He which fell from Heaven became one that despised Heaven itself."

Deidara gasped, having heard this phrase once from one of his band mates, Seto, who is quite religious. "The Fallen Angel!" he gasped. "Impossible!"

"Heaven. Earth. And Hell. These three worlds have a never-ending cycle of hatred. The gods have pure souls and hearts. At the time of his birth, Madara has one too. And when he gave into his anger and hatred, he became a demon god. A being holding powers of a demon and a god. He became the darkness itself. The very evil that is always hiding in humans' hearts, whispering evil thoughts into our ears. During the war of the gods, chaos wrecked the world as Madara created his ultimate army by preying upon the darkness. Darkness always existed in humans' hearts after all. We just never wanted to admit it. Thus, it isn't difficult for Madara to create his ultimate immortal army." She glanced at the shocked expressions on their faces. "That's right. His immortal army was created from the humans who fell prey to the darkness and his promises. Once you fall under Madara's spell, you become enslaved to him forever until he could be vanquished for good."

"So _that__'__s_ where his immortal army came from." Shikamaru gasped. "No wonder we could never manage to kill them all. We kill one, and another one appears."

"And with the world in the current sorry state that it is now in, it is no problem for Madara to increase his army." Konan added.

"During the war of the gods that lasted for ten full days until Madara was defeated and then sealed by Kyuubi, the now Bijuu Nine came to a realisation. Like them, Madara is an immortal, a _god._ He _cannot_ be killed. Not in the normal way, at least. When they realised that, realised that there is always a chance, no matter how small it is, that Madara will be able to revive, they decided to create the nin-users – the humans carrying the N-Gene, the Potential – their descendants carrying a fraction of their power to prevent Madara's release and revival. That is why nin-users existed until today. There is where our powers came from." Shiki turned towards the shocked former ANBUs. "As long as Madara existed, the legacy of the nin-users will carry on. But as time passed by, the nin-users soon forgot about the reason behind their powers, and why they even have them in the first place. I am a direct descendant of the God of Creation, the Kyuubi. That is why my powers are stronger than most nin-users. The Ragnarok members are direct descendants as well. Descended directly from the other gods of the Bijuu Nine. That is why our powers are stronger than most nin-users, and why we are more in tune with our powers, the earth, and the gods. More than any other."

Silence fell.

"Wait a moment." Sasuke put up a hand at long last, having felt as if an eternity had just passed by, suddenly finding it very difficult to breathe, with all the shocks that he is getting one after the other. He never dreamed that Ragnarok would be involved with the Gods of Creation themselves. Never imagined that their battles are involved with the affairs of the gods. "I've just remembered something." He frowned. "I remember a long time ago, you've mentioned once that you are after Shimura Danzo, the head of the Roots organization. You said that…he is planning on reviving the Demon God, the same thing that Orochimaru wanted, but failed to do so when you…killed him." He glanced at Shiki nervously, almost afraid of what she will answer. "What…is Danzo planning to do with Madara once he'd revived him then?"

Shiki sighed. "The same as any old fool," she said tiredly. "World domination. Basically, building a new world where _he_ holds all the power."

There was silence for a very long time.

Sasuke grunted. "Why am I not surprised?" he muttered.

"We've been keeping an eye on Danzo and Roots for a very long time, as well as the few survivors of Orochimaru's old Sound organization. For a long time, both Orochimaru and Danzo have both been trying to find a way to harness Madara's power. Fools." Shiki shook her head. "Foolish enough to think that they can enslave a god. And Madara is not just any god either. No mortal can harness _or_ control Madara's power. Hell, even _we_ have problems with controlling our powers when we were little. It took us years and years of training before we managed to harness and control our own powers to stop it from going out of control."

"But the Bijuu Nine might have just unleashed a greater evil than the one that they have tried to seal away when they created the nin-users." Shiki muttered, turning her attention back towards the gigantic crystal hovering just above the waters of the pool. "The gods are powerful, yes, but they are not omnipotent." She took one step closer to the edge of the pool, studying the crystal with an unreadable expression in her eyes. _"__He_ is living proof of that."

Kisame blinked owlishly as he glanced around the circular room at the several different coloured crystals hovering in the air, without any clue whatsoever as to how they are doing that. He then turned his attention back towards the largest crystal in the room – the one that Shiki is studying right now. He frowned, squinting his eyes as he could vaguely see something within the crystal.

"There's…something in it." He said slowly.

"Yeah." Shiki nodded. "These crystals contain the preserved bodies of some of the first nin-users of the world."

"_Whaaaat?"_

"What do you mean by that?" Itachi gasped.

Shiki glanced at Itachi, but said nothing, as she then turned her attention back towards the crystal that she is standing in front of. "Tens of thousands of years ago, the Bijuu Nine were the protectors and gods of this world. The nin-users, as their descendants, were their 'voices' of sorts. They carry a fraction of the power of the Bijuu Nine, depending on which god that they're descended from. They are the chosen ones. But researchers grew curious about the powers and abilities of the nin-users, and their unlimitless potential, and wished to harness the power for their own." Shiki clenched her hands into fists by her sides, this story bringing up some unwanted memories of her own to the surface of her mind. "Hundreds and thousands of nin-users were hunted down and dissected alive. All in the name of research."

"What?" Lee was scandalized. How could anyone do such a thing?

"I've heard this story from my grandfather as a kid." Kiba muttered, going quite green in the face. "So it's true? I thought that it's just a story that he told me to try to scare me."

Shiki shook her head. "No, it's true," she said. "It is a horrific part of our own dark history that is better off left forgotten. And because it had happened so long ago – happening during the time of the first nin-users of the land, by now, it has all been long forgotten. And to those who still remembered, they were thought of as mere myths." She glanced at them. "You have to understand. Back then, the powers and abilities of the nin-users were relatively unknown territory. And furthermore, the gods could no longer guide them or protect them like before. Thus, the humans are more or less left on their own. They wanted power. And what better way to do that than to harness the power of the nin-users? This is what the researchers thought at that time."

"And back then, there was one researcher that broke taboo." Shiki breathed heavily, rubbing at her eyes. "He found a nin-user with the power of the Demon God." There were gasps at that. "Madara created the humans as well. Of course there will be some humans who carry a fraction of his power. It isn't common, but not that unusual either. The researcher found a nin-user who carries his power, the first that is discovered at that time, and the researcher…conducted 'research' on him."

All former ANBUs flinched at that.

They knew what it meant, and were mortified to realise that something like that had happened in the past. If they thought that Orochimaru's experiments were bad enough, and the sites of his experiments were enough to make even the most veteran ANBU puke, then they do not want to know what had actually happened to the poor nin-user. If the Demon God is as hated as he seems to be, then anyone carrying his power is bound to be treated as some freak, as something not human.

"The Demon God's power is far too much. It _cannot_ be controlled by just anyone, and even then, is too much for any mortal to control. The power…went out of control. Everything was eliminated in an instant. Everything living was obliterated. Even humans." Shiki sighed. "Only a handful survived. The researchers then sealed away all traces of their research in the one place where no human can go to and find unless they carry the blood and powers of the Bijuu Nine."

Shikamaru's eyes widened in realisation, and he then looked around the room. "Then these crystals are… And this place is…"

Shiki nodded. "That's right. This is the Bijuu Shrine. The birthplace of the Bijuu Nine, and one of the few sacred places that had withstood the greatest wars and greatest tragedy that had ever happened in the world. Within these crystals are the preserved bodies of the first nin-users. The larger ones surrounding the pool contains the original bodies of the Bijuu Nine – the bodies that enables them to come down to the mortal plane, and which they have to give up after the war of the gods. And within this crystal…" Shiki turned towards the largest crystal that she is standing in front of.

"…is the nin-user from tens of thousands of years ago, right?" Shikamaru stated more than questioned. "The first nin-user discovered to wield the powers of the Demon God. A nin-user more powerful than anything else."

Shiki closed her eyes briefly. "That's right." She walked along the edge of the pool slowly. The former ANBUs however, couldn't seem to tear their eyes away from the gigantic crystal hovering above the pool. "And now, we are repeating the same mistakes from thousands of years ago once more."

No one even realised it when Shiki appeared on the second level of the circular room. No one, but Gaara and Haku who mimicked her actions silently.

"How…horrible…" Konan whispered. "The nin-users…"

"In that sense, I do understand just why Ragnarok did what they did." Lee muttered, not being his usual boisterous self.

"Huh?" Sasuke cocked his head to one side, frowning as he could have sworn that he saw the gigantic crystal move. "Did that crystal…just moved?"

"Huh?"

Itachi stepped up next to his brother and frowned, squinting his eyes at the crystal. "I don't see anything. Your imagination, maybe?"

Both brothers then heard a strange whispering echoing voice that seemed to be coming from the crystal that they're standing in front of just then.

"…_kill…"_

"What?" Sasuke's eyes widened. And judging by the expression on his brother's face, Itachi had heard it as well.

"What's what?" Nagato turned towards the two brothers with a quizzed expression.

"That voice…" Sasuke turned towards the redhead. "Didn't you hear it?"

"What voice?" Kisame was confused.

"…_kill…revenge…"_

"There it is again." Sasuke stated, turning back towards the crystal.

Itachi narrowed his eyes, trying to narrow down the exact location of the voice. "It's…coming from the crystal?" he realised with shock.

On the second level, Shiki looked down at the former ANBUs with impassive looks. On either side of her, Gaara and Haku watched on. "Let's see if they'll survive this." Gaara stated, and Haku and Shiki both nodded. "Our battle with the Demon God and his immortal army is no joke. We'll be boxed in on all sides by Madara, his immortal army, and even the ANBU themselves. They have to be prepared to do _anything_ in the upcoming war."

"Show me your resolve." Shiki murmured. "Prove it to me."

"_Kill…revenge… Human… Comrade… Fellow…nin-user… Vengeance…"_

This time, everyone in the room could hear that voice. Acting on sheer instinct alone, all former ANBUs took several steps backwards as there was the sound of a loud crack, and light immediately started to stream out of the long crack in the middle of the crystal.

"Oh my god!"

"Shiki!" Itachi looked around wildly before turning his head upwards to the second level only to see the three Ragnarok agents looking down on them coolly.

"Show me your resolve!" Shiki shouted to them.

"What?"

"Show me your resolve." Shiki repeated her words. "Defeat him." The crystal cracked further, and everyone could see an inhuman hand peeking out from within the crack – a limb belonging to something that doesn't seem human any longer. "He's a nin-user from centuries ago, and he holds a fraction of the Demon God's power. If you can't defeat him, you can't beat Madara. Show me your resolve."

"But…" Kiba bit on his lower lip with uncertainty. "He's a nin-user! One that has…"

"Darkness has clouded his heart." Shiki cut him off. "He no longer has control over his mind. He is human once, that is true. But he is one no longer. It is the darkness that is controlling him now. Put him out of his misery. Show me your resolve!"

Itachi gritted his teeth before he stretched out his right hand and called upon his abilities over fire. "What the hell are you people doing?" he shouted. "Call upon your powers! Are you nin-users or not?"

"But—"

Sasuke bit on his lip before mimicking his brother. "Watch out! Here it comes!" he shouted as the crystal gave one last loud crack before it shattered completely.

* * *

Gaara gave a low appreciative whistle as he eyed the battle currently going on below him. "Nice," he said. "I didn't think that they could really do it. When the seal nearly came undone five years ago, it even gave _us_ some problems trying to contain him."

Shiki sighed, glancing at Haku. "Haku."

Haku nodded before she leapt down to the first level, closing her eyes and beginning to sing, her voice sounding as pure and melodious as an angel's singing.

_Ieyui  
__Nobomeno  
__Renmiri  
__Yojuyogo  
__Hasatekane  
__Kutamae_

_(Pray, Yevon-ju  
__Dream, Child of Prayer  
__Forever and ever  
__Bring us glory)_

Nagato watched, enchanted, as the waters of the pool seemed to almost possess a life of it's own as it weaved and waved around Haku, little blobs of water dancing about in the air, each blob of water glowing with a soft silver light.

The…creature that they were fighting earlier was also slowly dispersing into several spirit particles, slowing dispersing into the air. The once malicious air soon cleared up, leaving behind an air of holiness.

Haku sighed as both Shiki and Gaara leapt down to the first level. "That's one matter settled then." Haku stated, and Shiki nodded.

The redhead then turned towards the ANBU agents, majority who were pale in the face. Sure, they've fought nin-users before. But monsters? That is their first time! Not unless you count the Demon God's immortal army.

"Sorry about that. But I need to see it with my own eyes."

"Are you trying to kill us or something?" Kiba bellowed.

"No. I needed to see your resolve." Shiki answered simply, and they blinked. "To see if you indeed have the resolve to face off against someone who had lived for millennia, to see if you indeed have the resolve to fight someone who had been one among those who are responsible for what our world is today. I wanted to see if you will back down against a greater power – against one of the gods of creation. I wanted to see it with my own eyes."

"That was a test?" Sasori questioned, and Shiki nodded.

"I'm sorry about that, but I needed to know. This is no joking matter. If you join the fight half heartedly, you'll die. Plain and simple. You are either in this until the end, or you stay the hell out of it." Shiki stated bluntly.

"That voice…" Deidara said slowly. "It's…so full of suffering…and pain…"

"Nin-users that holds a fraction of the Demon God's power is not common, but not unusual either," said Shiki simply. "When the researchers did what they did, they only succeeded in pissing him off. Even if he can't be freed from the seal that the gods placed him in ten thousand years ago, that doesn't mean that he can't do anything. In a sense, it's our fault – the humans' fault, that the world is now in the sorry state that it now is in."

"Most nin-users that carries the Demon God's power either went insane because their power ended up controlling them, or they became one of the most powerful." Shiki sighed. "But still, after the Demon God's fall, people believed that those with his power are evil. That Madara's power is evil. Bunch of crap." She shook her head. "There is no evil or good. It really depends on just how you use it. Thus, because of this belief, nin-users who carry his power were hunted down and exterminated until today. Probably, this is what began the Hunts from back then – the hunts and burning of nin-users during the warring ages – the ostracizing of the nin-users."

"How do we stop the Demon God?" Konan asked. "You have some idea, right?" She asked hopefully.

The three Ragnarok agents exchanged looks between themselves.

"When the Bijuu Nine sealed Madara away, they created nine seals." Shiki answered. "One for each of them. That's why they say nine is the magic number. Then the Nonary Game that I was involved in thirteen years ago…" She mused, her eyes darkening over. "Nine of us were involved. Nine numbered doors… Nine days to escape…" She muttered as if she wasn't aware of the others. "The number nine is everywhere. And now, with Ragnarok, there are nine of us." She gestured towards herself and the other two. "The Akatsuki – nine of you before Itachi left. Nine again." Akatsuki looked startled at that. "And now, we have nine days before Madara gets even half of his strength back and start looking for the seals."

"Nine…" Sasuke mused.

"Question here: how do we do that? How do we stop Madara? Where are the seals?" Sasori asked.

"Good question. We don't know where _all_ of them are." Haku said patiently. "Those seals are the nine Bijuu Shrines themselves. So far, we've only found five of them, with four more to go. It is said that once we seal all nine, we will find two books. One seals the realm of the gods. The second gives us the power to kill the Demon God. But who knows if it's just a myth or not?"

**XXXXXX**

_Somewhere Else  
__Unknown Location_

"Danzo-sama, should we pursue?" A Roots' operative questioned as the intruder leapt into the dark waters of the sea with a loud splash.

"No, leave him be." Shimura Danzo stated. "With the seriousness of his injuries, he won't live long anyway."

Several meters away from the large ship that is the headquarters of the Roots organization, a head broke the surface, coughing and gasping, the long white hair plastered to his head and cheeks. Jiraiya gasped and wheezed for breath, trying to breathe despite his crushed lungs and windpipe.

"What…a sorry end to the great Jiraiya," he wheezed, his vision going dark. He smiled weakly despite coughing up more blood. "I'm sorry, Shiki. I can't fulfill my promise to you. The bond of fate that binds you to Danzo via your parents' deaths…you have to end it yourself. The rest…is up to you."

On a nearby speedboat, Fuuma Arashi closed his eyes briefly, seeing Jiraiya sink below the ocean. "I'm sorry, Shiki," he whispered. He clenched his hands into fists. "But with this, we can no longer turn back."

**XXXXXX**

_Bijuu Shrine  
__Forbidden Forest_

Hours after the rest of Ragnarok and the former ANBUs have retired to bed, Shiki stared up at the majestic statue of the Kyuubi, the God of Creation himself.

"This is your answer, huh?" Shiki muttered. "The war of all wars. This will be the last. Will this war make this world?" She clenched her right hand into a fist. "Or will it end it? Is this another one of your tests?"

_Ieyui_

The redhead sensed a powerful presence behind her, but didn't bother to turn around, since she knew who or what it is. _He_ had always been with her, ever since she was a kid, ever since she had awakened to her powers. But that fickle _god_ only appears when she doesn't need him, and when she needs him, he is never around. And all he does is speak in riddles.

"I wonder."

_Nobomeno_

Shiki closed her eyes briefly. "The humans aren't that weak," she said. "You gods have lived on practically forever that you've forgotten the one simple thing that all humans have that can be more powerful than anything in the world. It is simply the power to believe."

Silence.

_Renmiri_

"If there is anyone that can stop the God of Destruction, my child, it might just be you. My direct descendant. The human, Namikaze Shiki." Shiki felt a slight drape of wind pass her neck. "I have faith in you, my child. Prove to me that my trust and faith in you isn't ill-placed."

_Yojuyogo_

Shiki closed her eyes briefly. "I don't know if I can do what you're asking of me, but I'll try. I like this world. I want to change some aspects of it, but that doesn't mean that I want to see it's end. I'll do what I can."

The powerful presence from earlier vanished, and another one took it's place. But unlike the first one that seems warm and comforting, this new presence seems more dangerous, and simply leeks of malice.

_Hasatekane_

"The gods might be on your side, but you're just as mortal as any human." He hissed. "You can't kill me."

Shiki took a swipe at the air with her hand. "Be gone," she muttered, finally turning around only to see that she's all alone in the room. She sighed and looked up at the majestic statues of the Bijuu Nine. "Yeah, I'm mortal after all. I know that better than anyone else. It isn't like time is on my side anyway." She whispered. "I don't intend to return alive. If at all. If I have to die…" She clenched her hand into a tight fist, determination in her eyes. "You're going down with me. I'll take you with me as I go."

_Kutamae_

_I won't regret this. This is the path that I've chosen._


	36. The Nonary Game

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Seven: The Nonary Game**

Early dawn the next morning came too soon for Ragnarok's liking, and just perhaps, for the rest of the _former_ ANBUs too, Haku mused to herself, having been on guard duty with Gaara throughout the night. It is for security purposes, as the ANBU is still after them after all, along with Roots and the Demon God himself.

It had been nearly a week ever since Shiki had told the ANBUs every single thing about the Bijuu Nine, their legends, the Demon God himself, the rise and fall of the era of the gods, as well as the tragedy surrounding the first nin-users of the world.

The ANBUs were all particularly subdued ever since, and half of them felt guilty. Shiki meanwhile, could barely be found ever since, as she is hardly around.

"Hey, it's time for a switch." Temari's voice entered Haku's senses just then, and she turned around only to see Temari and Tenten both approaching them, both looking wide awake, and doesn't look as if they have just woken up at all. "We'll take over."

Haku nodded, but Gaara frowned, and looked towards the eastern sky. It was still early dawn, and the sun hasn't broken out over the skies yet. Haku frowned to herself at seeing Gaara's uncharacteristic behaviour. "Something wrong?"

Gaara sighed. "Yeah," he said, turning towards the three girls. "I've been getting a bad feeling recently."

"About Shiki?" Tenten asked carefully, and Gaara nodded slowly. She sighed. "Yeah. Same here. All her plans and decisions lately… It kind of makes me feel like she's going somewhere far away after this ends." Tenten bit on her lower lip nervously. "I hope that I'm just thinking too much about things…" She mused.

"I hope that we're just thinking too much about this too, Tenten." Haku agreed with a frown. "Shiki has always been like this. She had always been full of secrets. Even from back then." She sighed. "I'm going to get some shut eye."

* * *

Having breakfast with Ragnarok and with one of Baled's leaders is a new experience entirely.

The Ragnarok boys have gathered all the firewood that they can find in the surrounding areas, whilst the former ANBUs are to prepare the campsite for cooking. The girls are then to prepare the food for breakfast. It is an entirely new experience for the ANBUs, not only because they are having breakfast together with the one organisation that the entire country has been on the lookout out for nearly nine years.

It is because most, if not all of the ANBUs present never had to lift a single finger in the kitchen for nearly their entire lives. ANBU had their own mess hall in the ANBU headquarters where the ANBU agents tend to have their meals, and even then, they tend to skip meals a lot. Being an ANBU means that you tend to have very irregular meal times and sleeping hours.

All of Ragnarok, sans for Temari and Tenten along with Shiki were present.

"Where's Shiki?" Itachi asked, looking around as Konan passed the plates of food around.

Hinata who was serving out the food glanced at him from her position by the campfire. "Back there," she said, gesturing towards the forest where the redhead could be seen, along with Sumaru, one of the two leaders of Baled. The two seemed to be having a rather intense conversation, yet was standing far away enough that their conversation could not be overheard.

Neji who was eyeing the two for some time sighed. "Someone better stop them before they argue until the next day," he muttered, knowing what it is like whenever Shiki gets into a heated dispute with some of her old comrades. He had to deal with Sai and Shiki once about five years ago. He knew what it is like. And if Sumaru is every bit as stubborn as Sai and Shiki…

Haku sighed, standing up and turning to face their initial direction. She then placed her forefinger and thumb into her mouth and whistled shrilly. Rendoku who wasn't expecting such a shrill and loud whistle literally jumped two feet into the air.

"Well, I can see that this woke you guys up properly all right." Sasuke stated sarcastically. He had quite given up on having his teammates be wide awake in the early morning. The raven haired teen knew that none of them are morning people, sans for perhaps Lee who had a habit of going jogging at five in the morning if they do not have a mission.

There were light footsteps heading their way just then, and everyone present looked up only to see Shiki walking towards them with a frustrated expression on her face, an equally angry and frustrated looking Sumaru close behind her.

"Wait a damn moment, Shiki! I'm not done talking with you yet!" Sumaru seethed.

The ANBUs were surprised, as they have never seen the leaders of Baled and Ragnarok that frustrated before. Ragnarok meanwhile, just carried on with their breakfast like this is common occurrence. And unknown to the ANBUs, this _is_ a common occurrence ever since the ANBUs have 'joined up' with them, so as to speak. Just _what_ they're arguing about however, no one knew.

"I don't care what the hell you think, Sumaru!" Shiki turned and glared at Sumaru with _that_ glare; the glare that had sent many ANBU members running for the hills before, and the glare that all of Ragnarok knew equals bad news whenever Shiki had that look on her face. No one in Ragnarok is suicidal enough to argue with her whenever she had that look on. But apparently, Sumaru either didn't know or didn't care.

Both teens were taken aback as a gigantic sword struck the area in between them both just then, and both teens, along with everyone else present, turned only to see Kisame with his sword, sighing tiredly.

"Why don't the both of you have something to eat first before you continue with whatever that you're talking about?" The shark-like man suggested. "You'll only be in a bad temper on an empty stomach. I should know." He grinned, glancing at Itachi. "Itachi always was cranky whenever he is hungry or if he is staved of his usual batch of morning coffee."

Sumaru and Shiki glared at each other before both turned in the opposite direction and sat down on the logs around the campfire that served as seats, receiving their own serving of breakfast from Hinata.

Kisame sighed, shifting his grip on the hilt of that enormous sword of his, and Kiba who was glancing around whilst stuffing his face with his breakfast blinked as he can see a symbol of some sort engraved on the blade of the sword, just near the hilt.

"Hey Kisame, can I see your sword?" Kiba called out, frowning, as he could have sworn that he had seen that symbol somewhere before.

Kisame blinked, one hand clenched around the hilt of his enormous sword before he nodded. "Sure," he agreed absently. "Here, catch—"

Everyone near him nearly choked on their food as Kisame who is easily the strongest of the ANBU group made a movement to throw the sword to Kiba as he easily yanked his sword out of the ground. Thankfully, before he could do so, two people stopped him.

Neji and Shiki.

Neji sighed in relief. "Just in time," he muttered, both him and Shiki having been sitting the nearest to the tall shark-like man, and he had nearly upset his cup of coffee in his haste to stop Kisame from throwing his sword.

Yugito has no strength left to spare to heal someone else with life and death injuries with the power of the Forbidden Forest.

"What kind of idiot are you to throw a bloody SWORD at someone?" Shiki bellowed into Kisame's ear, not removing her hand from his wrist. Kisame winced at her anger, as he, along everyone else, knew that Shiki hasn't been in the correct mood lately after the story that she had told them about the Bijuu Nine and the nin-users. "Will you like it if I throw my sword at your head?"

Itachi blinked, eyeing the short sword in a holster attached at the back of Shiki's waist.

The redhead had undergone quite an attire change ever since the Demon God's revival. She is now wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with a black short-sleeved shirt worn over it, with a pair of black shorts with silver buckles on it, and black and white sneakers on her feet. A cameo-green jacket went with it which Shiki had left off for now. A black choker with a silver cross pendant hanging at the end of it could be seen around her throat, and Itachi could see several hidden weapons attached in holsters by her thighs and in belt holsters around her waist. Itachi recognised some of the weapons – it ranged from handguns to grenades to hand daggers, and to who knows what.

Shiki wasn't the only one carrying around weapons of all sorts. The rest of Ragnarok as well, along with Baled. That Tenten girl is the worst, seriously. She had to have been carrying around enough weapons to open a weapon shop herself, and Itachi has to stop himself from wondering several times if she has the same ability as that Yugito girl to open pocket dimensions. Where else would she have gotten enough space on her person to cart around all her weapons?

"Sorry! I wasn't thinking." Kisame nearly squeaked, trying to get away from Shiki's temper. Knowing the leader of Ragnarok like he does, he is pretty sure that if Shiki ever decided to make true on her threat, he would have at least lost a limb or his head entirely.

"Never mind." Kiba said hastily, standing up and making his way towards Kisame. "I think that it'll be _much_ safer for everyone if I just come over and see for myself." He knelt down next to Kisame's gigantic sword, and examined the symbol that he saw earlier carefully. "What is this symbol, Kisame?" He asked at last, looking up at the tall man.

"This?" Kisame asked, glancing at the symbol. "That's Mist's symbol. All the weapons of the Seven Swordsmen of that group had that symbol."

Sasuke almost choked on his food. "M-Mist? You're one of the Seven Swordsmen? The elites of Mist's troops?"

"Former." Kisame corrected Sasuke. "I left them after the war. When Mei contacted me a few years ago, asking me to return to Mist, and that they're slowly rebuilding Mist to what it once was, by then, it was already too late, as I was already with the ANBU by then." He sighed.

"The symbol is kind of special though." Kiba frowned. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"Mei explained to me behind the meaning of their symbol once." Shiki spoke up, and everyone turned towards her. "The weighing scales represented justice itself. It represented Mist's role in the underworld and within the ANBU and the High Council. They defend the underworld, but kept justice close to their hearts. They're to the underworld what the ANBU is to the civilian populace. And the nine symbols around those weighing scales are the very symbols of the Bijuu Nine themselves. Each symbol represented one of each of them. That's why Mist is so knowledgeable about the legends of the Bijuu Nine."

"Come to think of it, didn't Sai say something about Mist, the Bijuu Nine legends and Ne once?" Hinata mused absently. "That's how we got a lock onto Danzo and Ne, didn't we? Five years ago."

All Ragnarok members stiffened at this.

"Hinata!" Gaara snapped.

Hinata blushed. "S-Sorry."

"Five years ago? Ne?" Konan echoed. "Is this 'Sai' person the reason why you guys have been able to pinpoint Danzo's movements and plans all along?"

Ragnarok fell silent, looking at each other uncomfortably. Sumaru and Shiki exchanged grim looks, and Itachi looked curiously at Shiki. If truth be told, until now, he still doesn't know much about Shiki's past, and her own connection with Ne. Come to think of it, Ragnarok _does_ know Ne's plans a little too well.

Sumaru snorted. "Shiki, you'd better tell them," he said at last. He glanced at the ANBUs. "If they truly wish to stop the Demon God and Danzo himself, they wouldn't look at Sai any differently even if they knew the truth. If they do, well…" He shrugged. "You can just kick them out. Simple."

Shiki frowned as she studied the faces of the ANBUs surrounding her. "I guess so," she mused.

"I've heard of this 'Sai' person before." Shikamaru said slowly. "From what I could find out, he used to be one of Ne's top operatives before he betrayed them five years ago. Because he knew too much about them, and had something that they wanted, Danzo has been after him ever since."

"Well, not quite what you've said, but close enough." Sumaru coughed. He sighed, exchanging looks with Shiki. "It's true, part of what you've said. Sai indeed used to be part of Ne. He was one of their top operatives because he is a splendid spy, and an even better assassin. He was part of Blade with us after all. It is natural. The survivors of Blade are all that – survivors. We learned to survive in Hagako – during the chaotic era during the civil war. That's how we could survive until today."

"After Blade…disbanded, Sai disappeared." Shiki added in her input. "At that time, I didn't even know if any of the others survived. Sai thought that we were all dead. I don't fully know the reason why Sai joined Danzo, but apparently, it is because it is to find his brother. His brother used to be part of Blade, but he went missing after the attack. Sai didn't believe that Yamato is dead, as we'd never found a body, unlike the others."

"In Ne, they taught their assassins to kill their emotions. To be emotionless killing machines." Sumaru sighed. "But Sai stubbornly held onto his own emotions, as he held on hope. Hope that he might one day find Yamato. He is one of their top operatives after all. Danzo wanted Sai to join Ne because of his network in the underworld, and because he is a skilled fighter. All of Blade are." He exchanged looks with Shiki. "But Sai betrayed them. Later on, he found Shiki and gave her sensitive information about Danzo and his organisation. That's why Danzo went into hiding for nearly five years."

"Then this Sai is…" Sasori shook.

Shiki nodded. "A former member of Ne. One of the, if not the only, person who knew all the ins and outs of Danzo's doings and his organisation, and knew the exact way they work. He's done many horrible things during his time with them, but he didn't have a choice. Just like how none of us have." She gestured towards herself, Sumaru and Ragnarok. "We did what we did in order to survive. Nothing more and nothing less. I'm not making any excuses here. And I'm not asking you to forgive Sai for what he did in the past. I'm just asking you to understand his situation. We wanted to live. No matter what. We wanted to continue surviving. We survived the chaotic period of Hagako as Blade. That's why, we wanted to survive, to live, to see. That's all that it is. After Sai betrayed Ne, I got Sumaru and Arashi to hide him, and he had been on the run from Danzo ever since."

"And that's why Baled is formed?" Lee asked, not his usual boisterous self for once.

"Not quite." Sumaru said. "After I knew that Shiki survived, and learned about Ragnarok's existence from her, I then planned on helping her. It took me years of planning and organising, as I need an extensive spy network within the underground, and enough contacts with weapon merchants and the like. It is only when Sai left Ne, and Shiki left him with me that I managed to build Baled. At the time of it's formation, this country had long lost their trust in the ANBU and the High Council. It didn't take much effort for us to find members. More than half the country despises the ANBU and the High Council after all."

The ANBUs looked down, ashamed.

Shiki sighed, getting up from her seat, and picking up her jacket. "Well, I'm going to head out to the mainland for a bit. Just to get a better understanding of the current situation from Mei, and maybe to scout for a bit," she informed her group who nodded.

"Shall I go with you?" Neji asked.

Sumaru shook his head. "I'll be going with her, so don't worry. I need to drop in on Sai and on one of our bases at Shinjuku anyway."

"We'll be back by nightfall. Can you guys hold the fort here?" Shiki asked, and Haku nodded.

"Naturally."

"Excellent," said Shiki. "Come on, Sumaru."

The surrounding teens then watched as the two teens vanished into the woods.

"So…" Deidara broke the silence. "How long did it take Ragnarok to establish itself?" He asked curiously.

Neji frowned as he exchanged looks with his comrades. "Well, not all that long, actually," he said. "Around…four to five years, I think," he mused. "It was only officially established after Shino joined us, and we only started to make a name for ourselves with Tenten's incident back then. Shiki got pissed off with the ANBU and the High Council." He chuckled darkly. "Be glad that you didn't see her back then. No one likes it when Shiki is angry. She can literally do _anything_ when she is pissed."

"I know that Baled had some issues with their formation back then. Did Ragnarok have the same problem? You know, with the underworld and such?" Chouji asked curiously.

"Not really." Haku said. "Even before Ragnarok was formed, Shiki is kind of famous among the underworld in a way, because of Blade. And as a rule, we don't get into too many confrontations with the underworld gangs, sans for you ANBU." She grinned darkly. "No one is stupid enough to mess with us, particularly with Shiki. Even without her powers, she is _not_ someone whom you would want to mess with, or to piss off." She added.

"Mist kept the underworld gangs in control. But make no mistake here, among the underworld, Ragnarok's word is law." Gaara added his input. The ANBUs were listening with interest, hearing a first hand account from the people who is responsible for what the underworld and the informants' circle is today. "Several of the gangs that actually did some…massacres here and there a couple years back went missing mysteriously. Shiki was actually behind it. She would never have allowed any killings of innocents. Sai told me what it was like in Hagako when Shiki was still there. She ruled Hagako there with an iron fist. No one dared to cross their path. Rule fear with fear. That is the law of the underworld back then."

"Is that how it always was?" Shikamaru wondered. "The underworld. Seems like a lot of the changes only took place a few years ago." He mused.

Silence.

"Not always." Hinata glanced at her friends. "It wasn't always like that. The 'changes' only happened because Shiki was there." She turned towards the ANBUs. "You people probably weren't aware of this, but a few years ago, a riot nearly broke out in Japan that nearly resulted in civil war. The nin-users of the underworld were behind it."

The ANBUs felt their hearts go cold at that declaration.

"But…why?" Deidara choked.

Silence.

"Because they were angry." Gaara said at last. "All of them. They were angry with you – the ANBU, the High Council, the country. Everyone. They were tired of their treatment and the ostracising that they went through each and every single time, and wanted some justice done. They decided that they had enough, and then they decided that since the country hates and fears them for seemingly no reason at all, they'll give Japan a reason to _want_ to fear them."

"I've never heard of this happening before!" Kisame gasped in horror.

"You wouldn't. It was all kept very hush-hush." Haku sighed, propping her chin up by one hand. "It was about five years ago, just after Danzo and Ne staged their disappearances, along with Orochimaru and his Oto. Probably, the fact that Orochimaru got off is what triggered that action. The nin-users had enough of their treatment, and I don't blame them. If I hadn't met Shiki all those years ago, I would have probably done the same thing. Because it is an underworld problem, we were trying to curb it ourselves. Mist was busy trying to change their minds, as they knew that if another civil war was to break out when we've barely recovered from the last one, it'll be the end of Japan."

"And it didn't." Itachi noted.

"Because of Shiki." Neji added tiredly, and the ANBUs were taken aback. "Yeah, you heard me right." He stated irritably. "At that time, it was Shiki who stopped the underworld from waging war on the ANBU and the High Council. Like Mist, she knew that if another war were to break out at that time, it would be the end of Japan."

"Some of us didn't agree with Shiki at that time." Haku stated, glancing at Gaara and Neji who looked guilty. "At that time, they thought that it is about time that the country gives the nin-users what they rightfully deserve. Gaara, Neji and Temari disagreed with Shiki. Shino, Hinata and me supported her. The rest were neutral. Worst fight that we ever had at that time. Shiki is the type to always keep her reasoning for every plan that she had to herself, and it is the same back then. But at that time, we don't know her well enough yet, and Gaara, Neji and Temari got the wrong idea about her, and accused her to her face. Shiki plain lost it. Closest that I ever saw her being angry enough to use her powers. In the end however, they saw her reasoning, and it took us nearly a year to pacify the underworld, and to stop the war."

"Not that I don't understand why the nin-users felt that way at that time, but waging a war because of it? That's just crazy!" Deidara muttered.

Haku sighed. "Erm… Deidara-san? We don't use the _c-_word to describe the nin-users of the land," she muttered. And however 'crazy' Shiki's ideas and plans can get at times, she knows what she is doing. And make no mistake, her plans _always_ works. How else can we up you guys one each and every single time?"

The ANBUs blushed at that statement, as they recalled just how Ragnarok somehow always manages to make them look like fools or even idiots.

"And your involvement in Kankuro's death didn't make things any easier for Shiki." Haku stated, glancing at Gaara warily. Gaara said nothing, and apart from the slight clenching of fists, Haku would have assumed that he hadn't heard her at all. "Worst fight that Shiki had with Gaara at that time. All of us thought that they might be using their powers to fight any minute. They argued for months. And then…" She sighed. "Sasame was killed." Deidara looked guilt stricken, and tried to ignore Neji's glare on his person. "Shiki snapped at that time. She was just _this_ close to hunting down all of you and killing you. I know that she harboured the thought of killing Itachi-san too." Itachi winced. "We might accept you into our fold for now, but we hadn't forgiven you yet for our comrades' deaths. And if I know Shiki, she will never forgive you." She said bluntly. "She is our leader after all."

Itachi looked as if Haku had just stabbed him in the gut. "I…know that," he said weakly.

"Then the recent treatment of the nin-users, along with the outcome of the last High Council meeting only inflamed Shiki's temper." Hinata added. "She never uses her powers because it is _too_ powerful. She is a direct descendant from Kyuubi for a reason. The last remaining one. Suffice to say, she is probably the most powerful nin-user that ever lived."

"Besides, I think that Shiki is probably suffering as well." Gaara frowned, curling his fingers together before his mouth. "She has been acting out of sorts ever since the Demon God's revival."

"Yeah, she's been trying to find his lair." Neji sighed. "Now that he has been awakened, it doesn't matter even if we seal the shrines away. I know that she is searching for his one weakness – the Death incantation of the Book of the Dead that the Bijuu Nine used ten thousand years ago to seal him away. Only this time, Shiki plans on using the full incantation and the power to kill him for good."

Itachi blanched. _That__'__s_ why Shiki had been returning late at night, and leaving early in the morning? Nearly none of them sans for perhaps Ragnarok themselves have seen Shiki of late. He had assumed at first that Shiki is avoiding him, but now that he knew this, maybe…

"That's what she's been doing for the last few days?" Konan questioned, shocked.

Gaara nodded silently. "Yeah." He admitted.

"But I've been getting a really bad vibe from her and Sumaru both lately." Haku admitted. "And with them both arguing frequently of late…" She trailed off. "It gives me the feeling…like Shiki…is going to a faraway place after this, or that she won't even be returning."

**XXXXXX**

"So nothing thus far?" Shiki asked whilst on the phone later that night, even as Sumaru steered the speedboat in order for them to return to the Forbidden Forest.

It was another uneventful search that day. Nothing new had shown up, sans for the fact that the number of disappearances around the country had lessened, and this doesn't mean good news, as it probably meant that the Demon God had nearly attained his original strength.

"_Sorry, __no. __I__'__ve __been __searching, __and __I __hadn__'__t __found __anything __like __the __book __that __you __were __talking __about. __Are __you __sure __that __it__'__s __not __just __a __legend?__"_ The person on the other end of the line sighed.

"No. I'm pretty sure that it existed." Shiki frowned. "The name of the book is _Per_ _Vitam_ _Mortem_ _Et._ It is Latin for 'Through Life and Death'. The legendary Book of Death. The death incantation for the Demon God is somewhere in there."

"_And you also need the 'devil's fruit', whatever that is."_

"Yeah well, that too." Shiki frowned. "We need two things in order to kill Madara. The Book of Death. And the devil's fruit. And I _still_ have no idea what that is!"

There was a long pause.

"_Might be a plant of some kind, Shiki. I've been reading up on the legends of the Bijuu Nine, and it is only mentioned very briefly that the Demon God's only weakness aside from the death incantation is the devil's fruit. It is said that the devil's fruit can make him mortal once more. He won't be immortal again. And you can then kill him with the incantation."_

"I've been asking Arashi and Mei to look into it for me, but no news so far." Shiki admitted.

"_I'll help too. We're running out of time. If we don't hurry, even our place here might be affected by the Demon God himself."_

Shiki sighed. "Yeah. I'm counting on you, Riku."

**XXXXXX**

"So nothing new today as well?" Hinata sighed as she passed out their dinner around the campfire. For once, no one is on guard duty that night, as even Temari and Tenten were ready to collapse after an entire day of guard duty, and no one else had the strength to last through the night. They don't trust the ANBU enough to do it either.

"Nope." Shiki shook her head, receiving her dinner portion from Hinata, ignoring the curious glances on her person from the ANBUs. "But the number of disappearances is lessening, and that doesn't mean good news." She sighed. "We have to hurry and find the book as well as this 'devil's fruit', whatever that is."

The ANBUs exchanged looks before Sasuke sighed and shrugged.

Currently, out of all the ANBUs, he is the only one whom Shiki wouldn't bite the head off. Even his brother had gotten the cold shoulder from the redhead, and she had acted as if he wasn't there. No one knew just why Shiki had been ignoring him as well. Probably, only Gaara and Haku knew. But if they knew, they aren't talking.

"Erm… Namikaze?" Sasuke spoke up, and Shiki raised an eyebrow. "We—" He gestured towards himself and his ANBU comrades. "—have been talking. Nii-san—" Itachi glared at his brother, and Sasuke glared back before clearing his throat. "I mean, _I_ wanted to know what does Danzo and his Ne, along with the ANBU, have to do with this experimenting case that you were talking about when you attacked ANBU headquarters back then." He shifted uncomfortably, squirming beneath Shiki's glare. "The kidnapping-cum-experimenting case that you were talking about that had happened nearly ten to thirteen years ago."

Shikamaru's eyes widened in realisation.

"_You…" Tsunade said slowly. "You're one of those kids from back then!" Her ANBU agents turned startled eyes towards their commander. "That kidnapping-cum-experimenting case from nearly ten to thirteen years ago!"_

_Shiki's lips curled into a sneer. "I'm glad to see that you remembered me," she said. "It's been over ten years. Long time no see, Senju Tsunade!"_

"_Impossible!" Tsunade shook her head. "It can't be! You're supposed to be dead!" That came out more like a denial than an insult._

Shiki was silent at that, her eyes darkening over.

Sumaru looked over at his old friend with concern. He knew just how much that experimenting case had affected her. Back then, when she had finally reappeared again after nine days, she was shaking so much, and had jumped at even the slightest thing, that she would probably have jumped even at her own shadow. Riku is the only one back then who could manage to calm her.

"Shiki, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to." Sumaru said with concern.

"No, I'll be fine." Shiki shook her head. She looked at the fire burning merrily in the middle. The redhead then looked at her comrades and friends, all who wore curious looks on their faces. "I think that it's about time that I tell you guys, you and Ragnarok both. About my past." She looked at Sumaru. "The past that only two other living people in this world now knew about." She turned her gaze back to the fire. Everyone was silent, staring at the redhead. They knew that whatever she is going to say now is going to be hard – both on her and on them. "It was more than ten years ago. Have you ANBUs heard of a mass kidnapping case that had happened more than ten years ago?"

Nagato blinked, but nodded. Shikamaru did too after awhile. The two were the 'researchers' of their individual teams after all.

"Yeah, I did. But the records said that the culprits were never found, and only four of the children were found back then." Shikamaru answered. "Their names were never released. It happened during the civil war after all. The ANBU records were all messed up then."

"It was a kidnapping cum experimenting case." Shiki stated. "Orochimaru had a hand in it." Everyone felt their hearts go cold at this. Anything that had to do with Orochimaru usually equals to bad news. "It was an experiment. Ten children were involved. And of those ten, five were nin-users."

"_What?"_

Shiki ignored the interruption from Kiba, and continued as if there have been no interruptions whatsoever. "It was an experiment in the form of a game. They called it the Nonary Game."

"Nonary…" Nagato trailed off.

"…Game?" Konan muttered.

"I think that the term Nonary is something derived from the number nine or Base-9." Shikamaru mused, one finger poised at his chin. "It's derived from the Latin prefix 'nona', which actually means nine."

Shiki nodded. "There were ten of us back then," she muttered. "I…don't remember all the names of all those involved. Only a few. Two of your comrades, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, were among those." She glanced at the shocked looks of the ANBUs. "I'll go more into detail about it later. The others whose names I remember were Miyuki, Suzuki, and a boy a few years my senior who went by the codename of 'Pein'. Later on, I found out that his real name is 'Ein'—"

"_Ein?__"_ Both Nagato and Konan bellowed at the same moment, identical shocked expressions on their faces. Everyone was taken aback by their outburst. Nagato was shocked. "D-Did you just say…'Ein'?"

Shiki frowned. "What's it to you?" she questioned bluntly. Her eyes then widened. "It couldn't be…" She muttered, narrowing her eyes at Nagato. "Nagato, is your last name…Amegashi?"

Nagato was pale, but nodded. "My full name is Amegashi Nagato," he said shakily. "Ein… Amegashi Ein is my younger brother! My twin brother!"

Everyone was silent, staring at Nagato in shock. Shiki was pale. "I thought that you reminded me of someone, and I thought it strange that you kept appearing at the hospital where I was after that case, but I didn't think…" Shiki mumbled something beneath her breath. "Are you serious? What are the odds? And? Where's Ein now?" Shiki asked breathlessly.

"I think that you know, Namikaze." Nagato said, a look of pain on his face. "He's…dead. But never mind that! Just tell me! What is this experiment?" He demanded. "What happened back then?"

Shiki stared at Nagato for a very long time without saying anything before she turned her gaze back to the fire. "The experiment back then was a large scale one," she said slowly. "Many people were involved in it – a top secret team. Orochimaru and Danzo were one of those involved in that team, along with five others. The seven of them made up that team. They began that project roughly ten or so years ago. I was about six or so when the project was commenced. And they named it…the Nonary Project."

"What is it?"

Shiki was silent for a long time. "Mind control," she answered. "The purpose of the experiment was to research the prospect of controlling a human mind through sheer will. Nin-users have stronger willpower as compared to normal humans, and that's why nin-users were among the ten children involved." She glanced at Nagato. "They were testing out the morphogenetic field of humans – both nin-users and non nin-users."

"What is that?" Lee asked, confused. "This…morphogenetic field."

Shiki was silent for a long time, merely staring into the fire, the reflection of the flames dancing in her eyes. Itachi was about to open his mouth when Shiki spoke once more.

"It is the term that we used to describe a situation. A situation where the more people who knew the answer to a question, the more people there were who could answer correctly without having seen the problem before." Shiki snapped her head up, and looked from face to face seriously. No one dared to interrupt her. "The answer is that the 'shape' of the answer has been stored in a field invisible to the naked eye. And through that field, the resonant event transmits information related to that answer. That's essentially the idea behind morphogenetic fields."

"That's crazy! And you say that Orochimaru and Danzo believed in something like this?" Temari asked, shocked.

Shiki laughed bitterly. "Sounds crazy to you now, isn't it?" she stated more than questioned, and she got silent nods. "But believe it or not, this morphogenetic field truly does exist." She looked from face to face. "Let me use an example. Let's just say that someone killed another person. And this killer said that he did it because the devil made them do it. Whether this 'devil' exists or not has no relevance to the murderer at all. All that matters is that they _believed _in the devil's existence. They believe that the devil exists. Whether or not he does is immaterial."

"That probably explains why we have so many nin-user hunts going on in the country after the war." Shino muttered, shocked. "Too many to count, in fact. And even we as Ragnarok could not stop all."

Hinata nodded, agreeing with Shino, pale in the face.

"So…you're saying that all that matters here in this experiment is that Danzo and Orochimaru _believed_ in the morphogenetic field?" Sasuke said slowly, and Shiki nodded. "But what is that experiment?"

"It was set up in the form of a game – a game with real danger." Shiki's eyes darkened over. "A game where the stakes are your life, and if you lose, you die."

Itachi flinched. He knew from Shiki's tone that this experiment, whatever it is, isn't going to be anything good. And probably, Shiki herself doesn't want to remember it as well. If it has anything to do with _both_ Orochimaru and Danzo, he doesn't blame her.

"I don't understand." Deidara frowned. "What's this got to do with anything? You said that they wanted to control people." Shiki nodded. "So how were they going to do that with a morphogenetic field?"

"I'll keep it simple." Shiki said with a sigh, though she knew that she is just trying to delay the inevitable. She doesn't want to relieve the memories of ten years back. "Let's suppose 10,000 people have solved a certain problem. The chance of you knowing that answer, even if no one has told you, will go up." She looked from face to face. "And let's have another example, shall we? Let's say that 1,000,000 people were to do a handstand right now. Tomorrow, the chances of you doing a handstand would be higher, even if you had heard nothing of this hypothetical mass hand-standing." She looked at the fire. "Mankind's thought process and actions are all part of a resonant event. All of the resonant events encoded in the fields are projected onto you. So of course, this assumes you believe in this theory. Do you follow me so far?"

"I think so." Sasori said slowly.

The faces of Lee and Kiba were another matter entirely.

Sumaru seemed as if he had heard this before, and then again, he probably had. Only a few members of Blade knew this entire story from Shiki back then. It had taken Riku nearly two weeks to coax Shiki to tell them everything that had happened when she had gone missing for nearly two weeks. And even then, only a few members of Blade knew what had happened – Riku, Sai and Sumaru himself.

"And also, let's say hypothetically, that there was a person who had the same effect as those millions of people. What do you think would happen then?" Shiki studied each face critically, her hands clenching into fists on her knees slowly, unnoticed by all. "If that one person were to do a handstand, other people would find themselves wanting to do handstands as well. Can you imagine what a person with powers like that would be able to do?"

Kiba chuckled nervously, though there is no humour in it. He shook his head repeatedly, feeling an unknown fear rising up in him. He knew, even without anyone telling him, that he won't like what Shiki is going to tell them. "Come on, there's no way—"

"Imagine another scenario." Shiki interrupted Kiba, continuing her story. "Imagine another person… Let's say that this is an ordinary person, a non nin-user." She looked from one to the other. "Let's say that he does a handstand. What if there was someone who could grab the resonant event that he created by doing that? And what if he used it to make other people do handstands? What do you think would happen then?"

No one spoke. Everyone was looking at Shiki intently, all hanging onto her every word.

"A person who has the power to write to the field, and someone who can read from the field…" Shiki trailed off. "I guess you could think of them as the Writer and the Reader, or the Transmitter and the Receiver. To put it in simpler terms, the experiment back then has the nin-users as the Writer or the Transmitter, and the non nin-users as the Reader or the Receiver. What do you think the world would be like if there were people with abilities like these? Even nin-users don't have an ability like that. Not that I know of, and trust me, I know lots of nin-users."

There was silence for several moments as everyone dawned on this thought.

"So…" said Nagato slowly, breaking the uneasy silence. "So this transmitter's resonant event can be transmitted through the field and sent to the receiver. And then the transmitter can control the receiver however they wished." He looked at Shiki uncomfortably. "That's what you're saying, right?"

Shiki sighed and nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose to ease her headache. "Yeah. Close enough, at least."

"Come on, that's just crazy—" Deidara protested.

"Well, if you want to prove that, then you'll have to test it first." Shiki interrupted Deidara. She frowned and fell silent for several moments before speaking again. "At least, that was how they thought back then. That was why they decided to do their experiment." Her gaze hardened. "And that was how the Nonary Project began."

Shiki suddenly looked very serious, and suddenly looked as if she had just aged years.

"Have you guys ever heard of the Ganzfeld experiment?" she questioned.

Konan nodded. "Yeah, I've heard of that," she said. "That was some experiment in telepathy, right? They put a pair of subjects in separate rooms. They'd then show one of them a picture, and ask the other one what they saw."

Shiki nodded. "That's the basis of the Nonary Project," she said. "The Ganzfeld experiment… It was used to screen subjects for the Nonary Project. Testing people, children, to see if they have the potential. A…certain hospital in a certain…town was affiliated with a pharmaceutical group." Shiki struggled with her words. "The pharmaceutical group was known as Cedar Pharmaceutical."

"Cedar Pharmaceutical?" Sasuke frowned. "I think I've heard of it somewhere."

Shiki sighed. "Do your research, for goodness sake!" she muttered irritably. "That was the company that Orochimaru was hiding behind five years ago when he was charged for the crimes of human experimentation back then. On the surface, it was a respectable pharmaceutical group. But in truth, it was actually all just a front. Danzo and Orochimaru used it to conduct experiments on visiting children in secret. Some of them had the potential. And then, Orochimaru began to gather children that showed promise… Children that seemed as though they might be able to access the morphogenetic field." Shiki sighed. "Of course, none of them were volunteers. They were…kidnapped."

Nagato took in a hiss of breath.

"I still don't know everything about that experiment." Shiki refused to look at any of them, but merely focused on the fire, as if seeing something fascinating there. "There were ten children taken at that time. Five nin-users. And five non nin-users. As such, five Transmitters and Five Receivers. And from the experiments that he had conducted so far, Orochimaru had learned the following: there are two things that can increase one's resonance with the fields. The first is epiphany."

"Epiphany?" Tenten questioned, her head cocked to one side.

"Have you ever been faced with an especially difficult problem and thought about it very long and hard, until an answer suddenly appeared in your mind?" Shiki questioned. "That is epiphany. It may seem obvious to say so, but that is what it is meant by 'epiphany'. The information obtained through that epiphany can be easily transmitted through the fields, where it can be easily interpreted. The second thing is danger." Shiki held up two fingers. "Adding danger to that equation allows for even easier field access. Therefore, Orochimaru set up a number of puzzles."

"The ten kidnapped children were taken aboard a large tank vessel in the middle of the sea. The puzzles were set up there. The participants had to solve each puzzle before they could move to the next room – closer to their escape point. Of course, he hadn't forgotten to include danger."

"Danger?" Sasuke dared to ask.

Shiki's lips formed a grim line. "The first one was the detonation of a bomb on the hull of the vessel that we were on."

Shikamaru took in a hiss of breath, realising what that had meant immediately. "But doing so would mean—!"

Shiki nodded. "The detonation blew a hole in the hull of the vessel, big enough and slow enough for the vessel to stay afloat for nine days. Thus, we were forced to play the Nonary Game as the ship sunk. From what I understand, by forcing us into a life and death situation, Orochimaru hoped to increase the likelihood of the taping into the fields. He separated the nin-users and the non nin-users by putting us on opposite ends of the ship. The same puzzles that we faced were duplicated on the side of the ship where the non nin-users – the Receivers were. The Transmitters – the nin-users, were forced to use the power of epiphany to solve the puzzles and transmit what we learned through the fields. On the other hand, the non nin-users had to learn to access the fields in order to learn how they might advance to the next stage. The puzzles that the two groups accessed are linked in a way. If one group can't advance, the other can't as well."

"My god…" Hinata almost had trouble breathing. "This…"

"This experiment is part of the reason why I killed Haruno Sakura and Yamanako Ino." Shiki looked straight into Sasuke's startled eyes. "They were one of the survivors from the Nonary Project. Like me and Ein, they were traumatised from what they saw and experienced ten years ago. And I'm not surprised that they chose to repress their own memories from back then. As they weren't nin-users, they woke to their own latent abilities to the field from the experiment – the Nonary Project. That ability stayed until now. In other words, the reason why Danzo and Orochimaru knew all of your plans prior to their deaths is because of the two of them. They are like walking walkie-talkies to them."

"You killed them knowing this?" Chouji gulped.

"Not the exact reason, but half of it." Shiki sighed. "I had my initial suspicions when I found out that they are two of the survivors from back then, but they don't remember me. I confirmed it after Danzo made his first attack."

"What…happened in the experiment?" Shikamaru asked, carefully steering the conversation away from less dangerous waters. "The Nonary Project. We understood the basis and reasoning behind the entire experiment, but what _happened_ during it?"

Shiki said nothing for several moments, clenching her hands into fists. Her eyes seemed almost far away – almost like she is seeing something that the rest couldn't see.

"_Kyaaaaaaaaah!"_

"_Don't look!" Ein snapped, immediately covering Shiki's eyes with his right hand, his left hand supporting her weight so that she doesn't fall. "Suzuki!" He called out to the only other guy left in their group of four now – Ein himself, Shiki, Suzuki and Miyuki. "Solve the puzzle. Now!"_

"_R-Right." A very pale-faced Suzuki nodded._

"Shiki?"

Shiki was jerked back to reality with Haku's concerned voice.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to," said Haku.

Shiki shook her head. "I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Gaara frowned. "You looked as if you are about to faint."

"I'm fine." Shiki insisted. She took in a deep breath. "Now where was I? Oh right." She muttered. "The Nonary Project was mostly based off the Ganzfeld experiment. At least, that was how the Nonary Project was supposed to work. We were given nine days to escape from the ship. I don't know how it was designed, but the level where the water had entered the ship was probably airtight, not allowing any more water to enter until a certain time had passed. Nine straight days of Hell. That was what it felt like to me back then. The puzzles were really insane, with the danger reaching to a whole new level. Before our eyes, we saw how the others were entrapped in the puzzles and died. By the time that we reached the final puzzle – the ninth puzzle, the ninth door, four of us were left from the Transmitters, the nin-users. And from the other group, there were only two survivors."

"Sakura and Ino." Shikamaru realised, and Shiki nodded. His eyes then widened, realising something. "Wait a moment." He murmured, frowning. "Four nin-user survivors. Two non nin-user survivors. That equals to six. But you said only four managed to make it out." He turned towards Shiki. The brunette then paled when he realised what Shiki was trying to say. "D-Don't tell me…"

The rest paled instantly when they finally got what Shikamaru was saying.

Shiki smiled grimly. "That's right. The other two of the Transmitter group died in the last puzzle." She closed her eyes. "No, to be exact, they were ensnared in the trap built after we solved the last puzzle and made it through the ninth door, with two hours to spare before the entire ship sinks."

Silence.

"Was…it that…bad?" Chouji finally found enough courage to ask, his voice quavering.

Shiki chuckled darkly. Everyone knew that as a bad sign immediately.

Nagato was pale as well, remembering just what his brother had looked like ten years ago when he had finally reappeared again. If Ein had looked like that after being rescued, then he could honestly say that he don't want to know what had happened.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"This is…the last door, right?" Shiki looked up at Ein who is somewhat like the 'big brother' of the group. And seeing as how he's the eldest, it is only reasonable.

"Yeah. We're going to make it out alive." Ein smiled. "I'll show you the sunrise, I promise."

"Well then." Suzuki grinned as he stepped forward. "The last door. Let's open it."

Miyuki smiled as she closed her hand around the lever just outside the large double steel doors that the group of six were currently outside of, and she pulled the lever down. With a loud grating and creaking sound, the doors slowly opened, revealing an overly large chamber with a ceiling that looked like an upside down funnel, with another exit beyond, and a flight of stairs leading upwards.

Sakura brightened up. "Stairs! There's the exit."

"Let's go."

Breaking into a run, the six children immediately ran across the room, and towards the stairs. Ein was the one with the longest legs; thus, he was the first one to reach. Shiki could be fast when she wants to, and she arrived just after Ein. Sakura and Ino both arrived at the same time. And just as Miyuki and Suzuki were about to reach them, the double doors slammed shut suddenly.

BANG!

"Eh?"

"Miyuki? Suzuki?" Ino shouted, as she banged on the steel doors, trying to pry the doors apart, but to no avail. "Is there a lever somewhere on your side?" She asked frantically, looking in several directions at once for a lever of some sort.

"Nothing!" Miyuki's slightly muffled voice because of the door came through. "Help us! I don't want to die!"

"What should we do?" Suzuki called out, sounding absolutely terrified. "I-I think that we're trapped in here!"

"Let me through." Ein pushed his way through, and looked through the glass panel of the door that only he could reach because of his height. He could see Miyuki looking absolutely terrified, with a tear streaked face, and Suzuki looking extremely frightened. "Both of you, listen to me! There must be an exit out somewhere! Don't panic and look for one!"

Then, as if things had not gotten bad enough already…

_Warning. Warning. Emergency incineration command has been acknowledged. Automatic incineration will take place in eight minutes. Please evacuate the incinerator immediately. Repeat. Emergency incineration command has been acknowledged._

Whatever little colour that is still left in Shiki's face drained away almost immediately. And if the three girls could see Miyuki and Suzuki through the glass panel like how Ein could, they would have seen that the two almost resembled a ghost of some kind.

Ein paled. "This doesn't sound good."

_End Flashback:_

* * *

"Incinerate?" Kiba frowned.

"You know what that means, right?" Neji supplied helpfully. "'Incinerate' means 'to burn'—"

"What kind of an idiot do you think I am?" Kiba snapped back. "I know what 'incinerate' means!"

Both boys then fell silent as they turned their attention back towards Shiki. They waited. And waited. But all that they could hear was the cackling of the flames as well as the chirps of the night crickets.

But Shiki didn't continue.

Nagato was the first one to break the silence. "Uh… What happened next?" Even his voice came out shaky. He had a bad feeling about what is going to happen next.

Shiki shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Damn it…" She held back her own angry tears. "Do you _really_ have to ask me? It didn't end well, obviously!" She snapped, pure anger in her tone. "What the _hell_ do you think happened? You think that I want to remember that? I'm not surprised that Ino and Sakura suppressed their own memories of that from back then. Makes sense why they didn't even recognise me. I didn't want to remember it either." She whispered, closing her eyes briefly. "Damn it…"

"Then…" Yugito's voice came out shaky as well.

Shiki closed her eyes and nodded. "Yeah." She opened her eyes once more, keeping her gaze on the fire. "There…wasn't anything that we could do. We searched and searched. But there wasn't a lever or anything to pry the door open. Or even another exit. There was just…nothing. Nothing that we could do." A single tear dropped onto her hand, unseen by everyone, her voice shaking. "After a while, the countdown…just began." She whispered. "And when the countdown ended…" Shiki was starting to shake as well, as if remembering the horrific scene from back then. Sasuke was starting to feel guilty for having forced her to retell this from back then. "The incinerator…started up, and the burning…begun."

There were hisses of breaths.

"And then…" Shiki whispered. "We…heard something…smelt something…burning…"

* * *

_Flashback:_

"Kyaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

"_No!__"_ Ino screamed as she banged onto the steel double doors repeatedly with her fists, ignoring the pain searing through her, trying to break down the doors with sheer strength alone. "No! Miyuki! Suzuki!"

Sakura was whimpering on the ground, her hands clamped shut over her ears, her eyes screwed shut, muttering, "It can't be true. It can't be true," over and over, shaking her head repeatedly.

"Stop it!" Shiki pounded on the doors with her fists. "Miyuki! Suzuki!"

_End Flashback:_

* * *

Shiki had her hands clammed shut over her ears, as if she could still hear Miyuki and Suzuki screaming from back then, her eyes wide with fear. Slowly, she lowered her shaking hands. Tenten was looking on with shock. She now understood what Shiki had meant back then.

_I hate fire._

Itachi was looking on with shock, almost forgetting to breath. But it didn't matter anyway, since his mouth was wide opened with shock. He now knew just how much courage it had taken for Shiki to jump through the fire just to stop him back then.

Now he understood why Shiki was so angry back then.

"W-When the fire finally ended, the doors can finally open." Shiki whispered, fear in her eyes. "But…"

* * *

_Flashback:_

The fire had finally stopped…ten minutes ago.

But even after the fire had stopped, even after the steel double doors of the incinerator had opened, inviting them in, they simply couldn't move from where they were. It was like something had glued their feet to the ground. They even found it difficult to continue breathing.

Ein and Shiki simply stood where they were, frozen in their spots, identical looks of fear and shock written all over their faces. Ino had crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes, or even like a puppet whose strings had just been cut, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at the opened doorway of the incinerator. Sakura was curled up in on herself like a foetus, whimpering and covering her mouth with both hands, trying but failing to prevent her sobs, shaking her head from side to side slowly in denial, tears spilling from her eyes.

A few more minutes passed, with not a sound to be heard but Sakura's sobs.

Finally, Shiki made a move, moving her right foot shakily forward, shaking so hard and so much that it looked as if she couldn't even support her own weight. Then another step. And another. Ein and Ino soon followed, both still too numb to speak. Sakura remained where she was.

The air in the incinerator was still hot. Every breath that they took made them feel like their lungs were on fire. The air almost shimmered with heat. And in the middle of the room, beneath the waves of heat…

"No… This…can't be…" Ino wept, tears spilling from her eyes as she collapsed to her knees on the ground, her hands clenched into fists on the ground. "Miyuki… Suzuki…!"

Ein closed his eyes briefly. "Miyuki… Suzuki…" he whispered. "Born for Him. Die for Him. If that is Fate, one cannot disobey. Travel the unseen road. For what lies there is the end of the life. This…is God's guidance."

Shiki walked towards the pile of ashes that they could all see shakily, her legs shaking so violently that it almost seemed like she would collapse at any moment. Neither Ein or Ino could see her face, but her body looked somehow empty.

Finally, she reached her destination.

There were several moments before Shiki collapsed to her knees, her legs no longer able to support her.

"No… No… No…" she whispered frantically, shaking her head in denial. "T-This can't be happening… It can't be true…! No…! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

_End Flashback:_

* * *

At last, Shiki finished.

There was deadly silence. Nagato was the first one to break that silence, his face deadly pale.

"My god… This…is what happened back then?" he whispered. "Nearly ten years ago, Ein disappeared. I searched and searched, but I couldn't find him. It was the time of the civil war after all. People go missing all the time then. But then, nine days later, he turned up again, pale and shaking. I took him to the hospital immediately, but he clammed up completely and refused to tell me what had happened to him. He insisted that nothing had happened, but I know my brother. A few years later, his abilities and powers as a nin-user skyrocketed. He became extremely powerful. Maybe too powerful." He sighed. "Maybe that's why…Ein killed himself."

Shiki's eyes widened in horror.

"He killed himself when we were about thirteen or fourteen. But I couldn't forget that something did indeed happened to Ein ten years ago. I am his older brother after all. I investigated by myself after that. I wanted to find out what had happened during those nine days when he went missing! That's why I joined the ANBU. Before that, when I told the ANBU, they pretended to be concerned, but they didn't do anything! I heard that of the ten missing children, only four came back alive. It was my intention to find the other three, to learn from them what had happened, but I never could find them. Two of them, I heard, joined the ANBU, but I don't know who they are. Later on, I heard rumours that the third survivor went missing shortly after Ein died. And after awhile, the civil war ended, and then things were just…swept under the rug. Even the media didn't talk about what had happened. The political state of the country weren't at it's best then. So I figured someone must be either threatening them or paying them to keep their mouths shut."

"Orochimaru and Danzo…" Sasuke murmured, pale. "No." He frowned. "Probably something even bigger than that."

"Those two were just part of the top secret team that began the Nonary Project…" Shikamaru muttered. "Who were the other five involved?" He looked at Shiki.

Shiki said nothing for several moments. "I don't think that you guys are ready to know yet." She said at last.

"Question here, Shiki," said Gaara. "This experiment… Everything that has happened… Do you think that the ANBU is behind everything?"

Shiki said nothing. "Who knows?" she said mysteriously. Her cellphone rang just then. "Excuse me." She stood up on shaky legs and headed into the forest to pick up the call. "Hello?"

"_Shiki? It's me."_

Shiki's eyes widened when she recognised the voice. "Arashi? Is that you?"

"_I've got some bad news. It's about Jiraiya-sama."_

Shiki's eyes widened. "…Eh?"

**XXXXXX**

Everyone – ANBU and Ragnarok watched as Shiki poked at the fire furiously, putting it out faster rather than actually lighting it.

They knew what Shiki is so pissed off about, since Sumaru had actually received a call from Sai half-an-hour prior, with the latter informing him that Fuuma Arashi had discovered Jiraiya's dead body. And by the looks of things, he was murdered by Danzo.

Itachi approached Shiki cautiously as she 'attempted' to start the fire, and she glared up at him. "What. Do. You. Want?" she growled, glaring at Itachi with fury. Itachi said nothing for several moments before Shiki huffed and just stood up, walking away.

In a corner, Kisame was watching this scene with Sumaru, Haku and Gaara. "Hey, do you think that those two will ever make up?"

Haku and Gaara exchanged looks whilst Sumaru just followed Itachi's movement with his eyes. "I don't know." Haku admitted. "If I know anything about our leader, it is that she rarely changes her mind once she'd made a decision." She glanced at her brother. "No matter how much it hurts for her. That's why everyone follows her."

"Besides, I think that things won't work out for them anymore, even if they can get back together." Gaara sighed. "And I'm not saying this just because of my brother. Too many things have changed since then. And I know Shiki. She won't forgive him for his involvement in Sasame and Kankuro's deaths. Honestly though, I have no idea what she feels towards him now. She is good at keeping her emotions hidden. And after hearing what she has to go through ten years ago, I understand why."

"Yeah well. She is the same back during our gang days." Sumaru snorted. "Even back then, I rarely see her express emotion freely. The only one whom she expresses emotion around freely is only Riku." He glanced at the three with him. "I think that probably…he loves Shiki. And probably, Shiki does too. Uchiha Itachi kind of reminds me of Riku in some ways. They have the same stubborn attitude. The same iron strong will. And the part of them that never gives up. He is a lot like Riku in ways."

**XXXXXX**

Itachi was distressed, but he didn't show it.

"You're serious?" he asked.

"You know that we can't carry on like this." Shiki told him. "Not any longer. I can't deceive myself anymore. I tried, Itachi. I really tried. But I can't do it anymore! I…can't forgive you for Sasame. And even for Kankuro. I can't lie to myself anymore. I'm sorry, Itachi." She pushed Itachi away from her. "Forget about me. Forget about everything. Once this is all over…it'll be like I had never existed."

She walked away.

"'Forget about me'…" Itachi repeated to himself. "Who are you kidding, Shiki? I can't do that!" He punched the nearest tree with his left fist. "I…can't do that… Why? Why must this happen?"

**XXXXXX**

Sasuke was leaning against a tree near the part of the Forbidden Forest where Yugito had healed his brother back then. He wasn't really seeing anything at all as he thought back on what Shiki had told him a few hours ago.

"Are you for real?" he muttered. "Sakura… Ino… Despite everything, you still chose to run away? Take the easier road out? You can't be serious…"

The sound of soft footsteps reaches his ears just then, and he turned only to see Namikaze Shiki standing behind him, a solemn look on her face. She sighed as she took a step closer to him.

"Can we have a word?" she asked.

* * *

_A/N: And end! I think that this is about the longest chapter that I've ever done so far! So I hope that this clears up the mystery of Shiki's past to you. And kudos to the NDS game 999 for the most part of this chapter. As for Itachi and Shiki, I won't tell you what I had in mind for them, though I can tell you that it isn't going to be good. And cookies to anyone who could tell me that they had noticed the mystery person mentioned briefly in this chapter, and could identify who._

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_


	37. Vengeance

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Seven: Vengeance**

"_Just go!"_

"_But—!"_

"_Go! I can't make it anymore. But you guys… You have to live on! Get him for me! Promise me! Bring him down, no matter what!"_

"…_I promise. I swear it! No matter the cost, we **will** bring him down! That is a promise!"_

"_****, we'll see each other again, right?"_

"_In the next life, if there **is** a next life, we'll see each other again."_

"_I'll get revenge for you, I swear!"_

"…_We made a promise to each other. That no matter the cost to ourselves, we will have our revenge on them. That is a promise. I swear it."_

**XXXXXX**

Namikaze Shiki awoke with a start, only to find herself looking at tree branches, and she then looked around her only to realise that she had fallen asleep whilst being settled within the tree branches of some tree in the Forbidden Forest.

It is a wonder that she hadn't fallen off yet.

Taking a glance at her watch, Shiki saw that it is currently just past three in the morning, with the backlight of her watch showing her the time. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to ease her headache.

It is almost like telling everyone her past is the catalyst for it. She had been getting frequent dreams of the past lately – of long forgotten memories once thought lost for good, or that she'd left behind for good. Is that a sign or something?

Shiki shifted her left thigh, and felt something hard and metallic against it. The redhead then looked down only to see a silver handgun resting in a holster against her thigh, the sleek metal of the gun gleaming in the night.

Her face fell, recalling a memory of a time long past. Of a time when Jiraiya had first taught her to fight.

"_Listen Shiki." The legendary pervert's face was uncharacteristically serious as he faced the small girl, kneeling down to meet her eye level, a silver handgun resting in the palm of his hand. The man was slightly disturbed at seeing the gleam in the small girl's eyes when he had first shown her it, along with a trio of knives. "Whether a gun, a knife, nin-powers, or even just your own fists, all those are counted among weapons. And all weapons are for killing. No matter what nice-sounding words that you tried to dress it up with, that is the cold hard truth."_

Shiki closed her eyes. _'I knew that right from the start, Ero-Sennin,'_ she thought.

"_I see," said Jiraiya solemnly with a nod as he listened to what his goddaughter have to say, facing the serious face of the eight, barely nine-year-old. _

_He felt a pang of pain in his heart as he laid eyes on the redhead. Part of him wishes that he had done more to protect her, to shelter the small girl from the horrors of the world. But another part of him, the rational part, knew that no matter what he could do, it will be all for naught. _

_She belongs to the underworld._

_The redhead looked at him uneasily. "Am…I doing the right thing here?" she asked, unsure._

_Jiraiya looked at the small girl for several seconds before smiling and kneeling down to her eye level. "Remember what I've told you before when I've first taught you to fight, and then when you've first founded Blade?" he questioned, and Shiki nodded. "I told you to keep on walking and to never look back. That no matter what, you will not regret any of your choices. That the choices that you've made, you made it, believing that it is the best choice for you to make at that time. You've never disappointed me, and you won't start now. Shiki, I believe in you. And so do those two. Sumaru, Sai, Riku and the others followed you because of this. They believed in you. They trusted you. Never forget this, Shiki. As long as you follow your heart, and stick to the decisions that you've made, you can do no wrong. The greatest power in the world isn't nin-abilities, and neither is it a good weapon. It is merely the power to believe."_

Shiki pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Why are you so stupid?" she whispered. "Why must you take such risks like this? You idiot…!" Shiki fingered the silver cross pendant hanging around her neck. "I miss you… I want to see you…" She whispered, closing her eyes. "Just a little longer… Just a little longer…"

Shiki kept trying to tell herself that, but she had no idea whether she is saying that to convince herself or to comfort herself anymore.

**XXXXXX**

_Graveyard  
__Hagako, Japan_

It is the early hours of the morning, with the sun not even rising yet, and yet, one Namikaze Shiki could be seen in the graveyard, standing before a monument erected in front of a large weeping sakura tree. A bouquet of white lilies laid before it, her tribute to the deceased, even as Shiki eyed the list of names carved on the monument.

"I know that I said that I won't come back anymore, that I will move on, living on for your sakes, but it's easier said than done." Shiki muttered, kneeling down in front of the monument and tracing the engraved names with her fingertips. "Ein is dead. Now, I'm truly the last one left. I will fulfil what I've promised you guys, and what I've promised Ein." Her eyes hardened. "Shimura Danzo will get what is coming to him. Him, and those five. Sarutobi Hizuren had already paid his dues. It's only too bad that I wasn't the one to do it. I will leave that woman for the last. I will make her suffer. The same way that she'd made _us_ suffer." Shiki pressed the palm of her hand gently against the monument, feeling the cool smooth stone beneath her hand. "Ten years is a long time. Long enough to make a person rot. I've waited this long. Now it's time. It's going to start from here on out. Give me strength. Enough strength to see this through."

Soft footsteps echoed behind her, and Shiki looked over her shoulder only to see a familiar brunette, and she nodded to him. That gesture was returned before Shiki returned her attention to the monument.

"When I next see you guys, it will be in the next world. Then I can finally tell you 'our battle is finally over'." Shiki whispered, slowly getting to her feet. "I will fulfil my promise. The promise that we've made back then. I will build a better world—for you, for all of us." She clenched her hands into fists by her sides before Shiki turned away. "Let's go. It's starting."

**XXXXXX**

At eight o'clock in the morning at the Forbidden Forest, one can hear an argument going on at the pier where some of the former ANBU boys and a few of the Ragnarok members were gathered.

"Are you sure that you even know how to fish? I don't want to have to explain to the girls why we got no food today." Neji looked a tad bit amused as he looked at Rock Lee who is currently fixing a makeshift fishing pole.

"Leave it to me!" Lee looked very proud of himself. "With my adept fishing skills, we'll get some grub in no time at all!"

"Look Lee, I don't want this to sound the wrong way, but…" Kiba looked hesitant. "Have you ever fished before?"

"You ANBU must be _really_ sheltered if you hadn't ever had to hunt for your own food." Sumaru snorted.

"It can't be that bad." Lee insisted. "Just because I don't grow up in the countryside doesn't mean that I don't know my way around a fishing pole. We just throw it in, right?" He grinned.

Sasuke snorted. "Riiight. And that also explains why every single time whenever we go fishing, you always end up hitting someone with that fishing pole of yours." He stated sarcastically.

Before Lee can bit back a response to that, Nii Yugito approached them, an odd look on her face as she eyed the buckets around the boys, along with the fact that Rock Lee is trying to fix his 'fishing pole' that is basically just a stick with a fishing line at the end of it.

"What are you idiots doing?" she questioned, but she got no answer. "Ah well. Never mind that." She turned towards Neji and Sumaru. "Have you both seen Shiki around? Haku and Gaara are searching for her. No one has seen her since last night."

"So?" Neji asked patiently. "She hasn't been around much ever since they came." He glanced at the ANBUs. "And we all know why." He added, and the ANBUs looked uncomfortable.

"No. Even if Shiki pulled one of her disappearing tricks, she usually made sure to keep us informed, or at the very least, one of us is always with her." Yugito bit on her bottom lip, a habit of hers when she is nervous. "This isn't like her at all. I'm worried."

Sumaru froze.

He knows Shiki better than anyone else, considering the fact that he knew her the longest, as compared to the guys in Ragnarok. He immediately took off towards the base area where they've made camp there ever since arriving at the Forbidden Forest. Neji and Yugito exchanged quick looks before taking off after him. Kiba, Sasuke and Lee took a moment before following as well, the fishing pole abandoned at the pier.

All of them followed Sumaru to the tent where the lot of them kept the food supplies and any weapons that they've got, along with the toolbox and first aid kit. The keys to their motorbikes, cars, and even the keys to their boats and their airship where kept here. As such, this particular tent is situated in the middle of the base area, where at least one of them is around at any moment.

Sumaru had made a beeline straight into the tent where the girls were giving them odd looks, preparing the fire for their breakfast. None of them, however, were prepared for the next thing that hit them the moment that they've arrived at the entrance of the tent.

"Where the hell is it?" Sumaru shouted, almost tearing the inside of the tent apart. Tools came flying out, and Sasuke narrowly avoided having his head taken off by a shovel that landed with a clang behind him. "I know that it's in here somewhere!"

"Sumaru, you're going to clean the mess up later!" Yugito growled out, but was ignored.

"What are you looking for anyway?" Kiba asked, annoyed, as he avoided a plate that came flying out, and crashed behind him.

He got no answer, but before he could open his mouth again, Sumaru came out, looking extremely frazzled, holding the lock box that contained the keys to all their vehicles – their motorbikes, cars, boats and even the _Exilia,_ Ragnarok's airship.

"What?" Neji demanded, not liking the look on Sumaru's face.

"It's gone." Sumaru whispered, his face pale. "The keys to the speedboat and Shiki's motorbike are gone."

**XXXXXX**

"W-Who are you? Do you even know who am I?" Onoki demanded, backing away from the emotionless looking redhead.

Something about her just screams danger to the old man. Maybe it is the fact that she took out over a hundred of his guards with seemingly no effort at all. Or maybe it is the fact that she managed to infiltrate his manor without anyone realising until it's too late. Whatever it is, it doesn't change the fact that something about this girl just screams danger.

"Before you go about targeting Ragnarok and the underworld, at the very least, you should at least learn the face of their leader." Namikaze Shiki narrowed her eyes, drawing out the silver handgun by her side, and releasing the safety catch on it. "And you should at least learn the face of one of the children involved in the experimental game that _you_ had a hand in ten years ago!"

Onoki went pale and looked as if he is about to suffer from a stroke. "T-Ten years ago…?" he whispered, backing up even further until his back hit the wall. Realisation shone on his face. "The Nonary Project…" He whispered. The dark look on Shiki's face answered the unasked question. "I-It can't be…"

"You killed them." Shiki hissed, taking one step even closer to the shivering man, pure hatred and anger shining in her eyes. "As if you killing my parents isn't enough… If it weren't for you and those pathetic fools, Miyuki, Suzuki and Ein wouldn't be dead! Apart from Ein, the others… We couldn't even give them a proper burial as there is no body to be found!"

She cocked the gun.

Onoki paled even further. "W-Wait!" he croaked. "W-What do you want from me? If it's money or power, I'll give you everything that I have! Just don't kill me!"

"Money and power doesn't interest me." Shiki hissed, taking one step closer to Onoki. "What I desire…is your life!"

BANG!

A gunshot rang out.

**XXXXXX**

"_The recipient whom you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try again—"_

Gaara almost groaned as he hung up his phone, having been trying to reach their leader's phone for the fifteenth time during the past hour ever since she had gone missing. The redhead turned towards the hopeful faces surrounding him, with them all seated around the fire that they always sat at during mealtimes.

"No good," he said. "I can't get through to her phone."

Haku chewed on her bottom lip nervously. "I'm getting worried," she admitted. "Shiki always made sure that she could be reached. And now, she's gone missing for seven days."

Gaara turned and glared at Itachi who had been unusually silent for the past three days. "Did _you_ do anything to her?" he accused.

"Why is it always my fault?" Itachi snapped.

"Maybe because it always is?" Yugito stated sarcastically.

"Alright, enough!" Haku snapped, fast losing patience. She then turned towards Shino. "Shino, get a trace on her phone. On her last known location." She ordered, and Shino nodded before tapping away on his laptop quickly. "I'm getting worried." She admitted. "Something about this feels wrong to me."

Neji frowned. "What the hell is Shiki up to?"

**XXXXXX**

"W-Wait!" A croaked, backing up until he could go back no further, paling as he stared straight at the barrel of a gun. "Do you know who am I? You won't be able to escape if you killed me."

Namikaze Shiki snorted. "Considering the fact that the High Council, the ANBU and the nation have been on the search for us for the past nine years and hadn't been successful so far, I think that I can hide from them well enough," she sneered.

A paled. "R-Ragnarok…" he whispered.

"You wanted to find me, right? And to…what was that which you've said?" Shiki mock pondered. "Oh right. 'To bring Ragnarok to justice'." She stated sarcastically. "Well, here I am. What are you waiting for?" A gulped as Shiki took a step closer. "Like the other fools before you, you are nothing without your guards and your money." She hissed. "Now you know what helplessness feels. Now you know how the nin-users that you fools have forced into hiding had felt. Now you know how _we_ felt when we are pushed into a corner. Now you know how my friends felt before they died playing a game that you fools cooked up for your own sick entertainment!" She hissed.

"W-What do you want?" A croaked.

"I want your life." Shiki hissed, pressing the trigger of her gun.

BANG!

A immediately crumpled to the floor of his office, blood pooling around his body, and Shiki looked on without a care in the world. "Five down, one more to go," she muttered.

Her phone rang with the message tone just then, and Shiki fished it out of her pocket only to see that it is a message from Arashi. He had sent a digital map of the area of the next target, along with a short message attached to it.

'_He doesn't seem to be going anywhere else. Get him, Shiki, and be careful. This will also be my last job.'_

**XXXXXX**

"Have you found her?" Yugito asked worriedly the moment that Haku and Gaara have returned. The looks on their faces answered her question. "Where could she be?"

"We went to the last known location where Shiki's phone had been detected before she had disabled the tracer." Haku answered. "It was somewhere near Nagako, near the northern district of Japan."

Tenten sighed, scratching the back of her head. "What now?" she asked.

"You asking me?" Gaara asked irritably.

"Sumaru headed out awhile back." Shino informed his comrades whilst tapping away on his laptop, with Ragnarok ignoring the former ANBUs. "Sai gave him an urgent call an hour or so ago, and he headed off straight to Shinjuku. He said that he'd be bringing Sai back here. Something about an urgent message."

"I think that's them," said Temari, her ears perking up as she caught the faint sounds of the motor of a boat. Ten minutes later, both Sai and Sumaru approached them, both looking out of breath, and there were slight panicked looks on their faces. "What is it?"

"Urgent news had been going around the underworld, especially around Baled." Sai informed them, and everyone paid rapt attention to him, especially the former ANBUs. "The members of the High Council had been turning up dead, one after the other. Now, the only ones still alive is the head of Mist as well as the current head of the ANBU."

There was stunned silence for several moments before Kiba spluttered. "The members of the _High_ _Council?"_ he nearly shouted. "That can't be! They have the highest security around their workplaces and residences than anyone else! How did the assassin get past their guards?"

"That's the thing. Apart from old Onoki whose guards were all knocked out with an instant blow, the guards of the others didn't even realise that the High Council members have been killed until it is too late." Sai answered. "Whoever this assassin is, he or she is no amateur." He glanced from face to face. "And the murder weapon is a gun."

Deadly silence fell.

"Just…the High Council members were killed, you say?" Gaara said slowly, as if hoping that he is hearing wrong, and Sai nodded. "And now, the only ones alive are Mei Terumi and Senju Tsunade?" He asked again, and again, he received nods. Gaara exchanged quick looks with the rest of Ragnarok, all whom looked worried.

"What's wrong?" Kisame asked with a frown.

Temari was the one who answered him. "It sounds like Shiki's work," she said wearily. "She's the only one who can do something like this that we knew of. No matter how many guards there are, and no matter how tight the security is, she can bypass them with no problem."

The former ANBUs were floored, but Sai and Sumaru seemed like they already knew this, or at least, had expected this answer.

"B-But… Why is she going after the High Council members?" Deidara spluttered. "They didn't do anything to her! And she doesn't seem like the type to kill someone in a fit of anger."

Sai and Sumaru exchanged looks. "Not exactly." Sai sighed. Seeing everyone's attention focused on him, he sighed. "A few years ago, Shiki got Iruka-san and me to investigate some stuff for her."

"Our parents' deaths?" Haku guessed.

"Not only that." Sai corrected. "She had us digging for information regarding the mass kidnapping case that had occurred nearly ten years ago." He studied each face carefully and sighed. "That's right. _The_ _Nonary_ _Project."_

"She had Arashi looking into this as well." Sumaru added. "Even back during our days with Blade, she had been searching for information regarding the Nonary Project. And considering what she has to go through, I'm not surprised."

"And?" Haku prompted.

Sai and Sumaru exchanged looks. "I'm not too sure of the entire story, but from what I could find out, and what Shiki had said briefly, all the members of the High Council sans for Mei Terumi…" Sai trailed off. "At one point in time, they were all affiliated with a pharmaceutical group known as Cedar Pharmaceutical."

The ANBUs along with Ragnarok were all stunned. "C-Cedar Pharmaceutical?" Neji echoed. "That name rings a bell…" He mused.

"Isn't that the name of the group that is affiliated with Orochimaru before his death?" Hinata frowned. "And isn't that the name of the group that had organised the Nonary Project ten years ago?"

Sai sighed and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "A, Onoki, Yagura, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura – the current members of the High Council… At one point in time, before they went into the political field, they were all part of the team that Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo had built to organise the experiment ten years ago. The Nonary Project." He glanced at the ANBUs. "And from what Fuuma Arashi told me, the current leaders of the ANBU – the late Sarutobi Hizuren and Senju Tsunade had some connection with them as well."

The looks on the faces of the ANBUs looked as if someone had just told them that the world was ending.

"T-That can't be!" Konan shook her head. "I admit that the Chief and the commander have made some really bad mistakes in the past, but to work together with the likes of Orochimaru and Danzo—"

"No." Shino shook his head, speaking up for the first time, glancing from face to face. "If the information came from Fuuma Arashi, then there is no mistake." He declared. "That guy is the best spy that I've ever seen, even better than Sai here when it comes to intelligence gathering."

"Besides, if they really are in cahoots with Orochimaru and Danzo, then it explains a lot of things." Sasori said thoughtfully. "Like why Orochimaru got off just after the war ended, despite the heinous crimes that he had committed, and the numerous witness reports stacked up against him. And how Shimura Danzo can just up and disappear like that without any warning. And remember the old Council as well as the former heads of the ANBU during the war? Now that I think of it, their deaths are pretty mysterious. But as it was in the middle of the civil war at that time, I didn't think too much about it, as people die all the time back then."

Sasuke was pale. "And why the Covert Ops always take their own sweet time issuing arrest warrants for Orochimaru's men back then," he whispered, finally understanding everything. "It can't be…"

"But why?" Kiba nearly exploded, enraged. "Why are they doing this?"

Gaara, Haku and Neji exchanged looks with Sai and Sumaru whom both nodded. "Shiki didn't tell us too much about it, only the barest details." Haku begun. "But what she said is enough for us to piece the pieces together ourselves, with the number of clues and hints that we'd gotten over the past few years."

"The first clue that we've gotten is a request that we've gotten from Jiraiya-sama nearly a year ago." Gaara added. "At that time, didn't you ANBUs find it suspicious that we know your movements and plans even before you decided to act?" He received silent nods for it. "There is a reason for it. We have a spy planted in your midst at that time – an old friend of Shiki's whom she had known ever since her gang days."

"And the name of that guy is…Hidan." Neji ended.

"Hidan…" Itachi mused. "I don't believe that I've ever heard of him before."

"No, I've heard of him." Shikamaru frowned. "He is a First Class specialist in the Combat Division under the Covert Ops – ANBU's best division that is also their best kept secret. Any information regarding a member of that division is kept under lock and key. They wouldn't be on record anywhere. But from what I've heard, Hidan went missing nearly a year ago."

"Not exactly untrue, but he didn't go 'missing' exactly." Hinata sighed. "No, to be precise, he was…erased by the ANBU."

Silence.

"W-What do you mean?" Chouji choked out.

"It shouldn't be that hard to figure out with everything that Shiki has told you." Sumaru snorted. "The Nonary Project was started by the members of the High Council, along with Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo ten years ago. Even the war back then that had devastated our country… Shiki had suspected that our side began it on purpose. She just has no proof."

Nagato frowned. "Come to think of it, the disagreement that we have with Whirlpool isn't that serious back then. It is merely just a problem of tax agreements and the water policy. But then war escalated when a child of Whirlpool was accidentally killed."

"And ever since then, our country has been involved in battle after battle. War after war." Sasuke realised. "All in the name of peace."

"But why?" Lee demanded, looking furious. "Why do such a thing? Why did an organisation like the ANBU that is supposed to _protect_ our country and her people continuously put them in danger?"

There was silence as Sai, Sumaru and the members of Ragnarok exchanged looks.

"We only have a theory, and it is only after Arashi gave us some new information a few months ago that we can confirm it." Sai finally answered. "Do you remember the Nonary Project and what Shiki had told you?" He received nods for it. "Do you remember what the experiment is about?"

"Something about controlling people or something." Kiba answered.

Sumaru nodded. "After the war, a civil war erupted. The nin-users were all forced into hiding, or they will end up being killed. And it didn't help matters that the Rebellion Group was formed during the war – a group that is made up of people who hates nin-users and would do anything to rid the world of them. Laws about nin-users were passed, none of them in their favour. Thus, the lives of nin-users during the civil war and even after it were beyond miserable. They were all forced to do all kinds of things just to survive. Thus, the underworld was full of them."

"What are you trying to get at?" Sasuke frowned.

"Come on, you should get it by now." Sai sighed. "Imagine that you're one of those nin-users – someone who had been ostracised against for nearly your entire life. You can barely live anywhere, and even so, you can't stay longer in a place for longer than a few months before you're forced on the run again. That's what a nin-user's life is like back then. And then imagine this scenario. What if one day, someone from the ANBU came to you, offering you hope, a place to stay, friends and comrades, and maybe even family? And all that you have to do is to accept their offer to join the ANBU and become a weapon for war."

The faces of the ANBUs were one of horror.

"A-Are you trying to say…" Itachi gulped, his face one of guilt.

"That's just like what had happened with us." Deidara whispered.

"But why do such a thing?" Kiba demanded. "Why the nin-users? What did they ever do to them? Why must they do such a thing?"

Haku looked at Kiba with pity. "For power," she answered.

"For power?" Lee echoed.

Sai nodded. "The Nonary Project that was commenced ten years ago during the civil war was just the start," he said. "They were trying to figure out a way to control the minds of people. To be exact, nin-users."

Itachi finally understood what Sai was trying to tell them. "They were trying to control the nin-users," he whispered, his heart going cold at the implications.

"Later on, there were attacks on underworld gangs whom nin-users were a part of." Sumaru sighed. "Blade was just one of those. And from what I've heard from Shiki, you guys were targeted as well. Back during your gang days." He looked at Yugito and Shino whose faces have darkened over, and they nodded. "Officially, it was Danzo's Ne that had attacked them, killing nearly all the gang members, leaving only the nin-users alive. There is a reason for that." He looked from face to face. "The ANBU would then step in, 'saving' those nin-users. Out of gratitude, they would then work for the ANBU."

"There's…just no way…" Chouji looked as if he was about to be sick.

"Later on, after Orochimaru's death, Shiki had us digging about information on him and the ANBU as well." Sai added. "Orochimaru's old experimental notes were all in the hands of the ANBU. It took us nearly a year, but we managed to find out that there is a secret division in the ANBU, also otherwise known as the Research Bureau, or the R&D Department."

"I've never heard of them." Nagato frowned.

"They wouldn't be a secret division if you knew, would they?" Sai asked patiently. "That division's work is pretty simple. Their objective is to find a way to control the nin-users, and also to figure out a way to increase the powers and abilities of a nin-user."

Temari hissed, finally understanding everything.

"That's just like what that bastard Amachi did to us when we're kids." Temari hissed.

Sumaru nodded. "Hence, when Orochimaru died, all his research notes and such landed in the hands of the ANBU. Shiki had an initial suspicion about it, as we could never find his notes, no matter how hard we have searched. And then Hidan's death… Shiki knew straight away that _someone_ had been experimenting on him – trying to increase his nin-powers forcibly. That's why he turned a little crazy, and wasn't able to differentiate friend from foe, or even what is right and wrong."

"And then, her suspicion turned to the ANBU." Sai added. "Seeing as how that is the last place that Hidan had been with, and that Orochimaru's experimental notes couldn't be found anywhere, Shiki immediately suspected that the ANBU had something to do with it. Of course, not even Shiki knew the extent to which they would go to in order to increase their military might and power."

"Then Shiki…" Hinata trailed off.

Sai nodded. "Cedar Pharmaceutical begun the Nonary Project ten years ago. Their members continued the research and experiments even after that, bringing the country to the state that it now is in. The only way for them to 'save' the nin-users is to devastate the country to such a state that the nin-users would be desperate for a way out, _any_ way out to ensure their survival. That is the reason behind all the wars. You get where I'm going with this?"

Silence.

"You're saying…that Shiki went after them…for revenge?" Tenten said slowly. "For what they did to her ten years ago? For what they did to her friends? And what they did to the country?"

Sai nodded. "More or less," he answered. He then glanced at the shocked faces of the former ANBUs. "In order to get you guys out of the ANBU, Shiki didn't have much of a choice, but to allow you to witness the revival of the Demon God with your own eyes." He sighed. "She knew that it is only a matter of time before he will be revived. Your breaking the seal just hastened the process. Your fights with her and Ragnarok convinced her of your intentions. She said that you guys aren't like the rest of the ANBU. Thus why she did what she did."

"If those High Council guys are indeed behind everything – the state of this country, the treatment of the nin-users, the condition of the underworld, and even the reason behind the countless deaths in this country…" Neji frowned. "Then Shiki must have known about this long ago! Why would she move now?"

"Because of Jiraiya-sama's death." Haku said slowly. "That must have triggered it."

"Hey Sai, how did you and Arashi both find out that Cedar Pharmaceutical was connected to the Nonary Project in the first place anyway?" Sasori asked, turning towards the teen.

"Well, Iruka-san thought that finding out whatever those ten kidnapped kids back then had in common would be a start. So that's what we did." Sai shrugged. "Any informant worth their salt would have done that."

"And so?" Sasuke asked impatiently. "What did they have in common?"

"Every single one of those children who have disappeared, and who were involved in the experiment had one common point between them," said Sai, looking from face to face. "At one point in time, they were all in the same orphanage. And this orphanage was one of a bunch that was under the control of Cedar Pharmaceutical. After that, it was just a matter of connecting the dots."

"My god…" Sasuke muttered, feeling quite faint.

"Took the words right out of my word, Sasuke." Kiba muttered.

"But one thing about the nin-users that have survived the Nonary Game, even the non nin-users," said Sai. "For the non nin-users, their senses were improved tenfold. And for the nin-users, within a few years after the experiment, their powers skyrocketed, and they became more powerful than ever imagined."

"Yeah, that's why Ein took his own life a few years later when his powers grew stronger all of a sudden. Too strong for him to control." Nagato mused. "When he could no longer differentiate between reality and illusion, that was the last straw for him. He took his own life."

"I don't blame him." Sumaru sighed. "Back during our days with Blade, Shiki nearly did. It was only Riku's presence back then that stopped her from doing that. He helped kept her sane."

"But there is one thing that you people should know about Shiki too." Sai added, looking from face to face. "People tend to underestimate her. But be wary though, she has a brilliant mind, and a wit to match it. I hadn't met anyone that can match her yet. No one. And she isn't above using others or even herself to achieve her goal. That's why everyone follows her."

"Do you both know where Shiki could have gone to right now?" Haku asked hopefully.

Sai shook his head. "No. If I know anything about our old leader, it is that she is good at hiding," he stated, and Sumaru nodded in agreement. "If she doesn't want to be found, she wouldn't be. You can comb all of Japan for her, and you still wouldn't find her. She is like this back after Blade disbanded, and when Ragnarok started fucking with the ANBU."

"Just believe in her." Sumaru interrupted, seeing the worried expressions on the faces of Ragnarok. "If it is her, I believe that she will do the right thing. She will be just fine. So don't worry too much. And besides…" Sumaru sighed. "I'll let her have her revenge. It is all that she has left now."

**XXXXXX**

Fuuma Arashi made his way through the small deserted town of Lakeside.

The once bustling and busy seaside town now resembles a ghost town of some sort, with the inhabitants all scattering the moment that the Demon God had revived, and when ANBU started having all kinds of problems – both internal and external.

The informant glanced around the ghost town before making his way towards the Lacoste Mansion – the largest building in the entire town that now lay deserted. Arashi opened the large brass doors of the mansion that opened with a creak, revealing dust and more dust within the mansion, along with cobwebs and goodness knows what else.

Coughing slightly as he choked on the dust, Arashi made his way down the stairs to the bottom-most basement, his booted feet causing echoes with every step that he took. The basement was dimmed with little light, and yet, Arashi could still see where he is going.

Finally, he arrived at his destination – the end of the hallway of the basement.

Namikaze Shiki was waiting outside a room with a metal door for him, with bolts and locks placed over it. The redhead glanced up as he approached her, unfolding her arms, and nodded to him in greeting.

"Shiki." Arashi nodded to his old friend before glancing at the door, and then back to her, eyeing the slight bloodstains on her shoes. It wouldn't be obvious if one didn't know what to look for. "How fares the heart?"

"Same as always." Shiki sighed. She then straightened herself up. "I had my revenge. I've fulfilled my promise to them. And now, it's time for me to fulfil my promise to _you."_ She looked from Arashi to the door behind her, and then back again. "He's inside." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "Deal with him as you see fit."

Arashi nodded to Shiki as she moved away from the door to allow Arashi entry, but not before unbolting and unlocking the door for him. "Thanks for everything," he said. "For what it's worth, these past few years had been fun. I had some great times. Being an informant and a spy had never been as fulfilling and rewarding than it had been when I was working for you."

Shiki smiled a very small smile. "If there is any thanks to be given, it is to you," she said. "This wouldn't have been made possible without you. My work for the past few years…" She trailed off. "It has been all for this moment. ANBU. Ne. Oto. These three organisations are now broken without hope for repair. This country is also now at it's lowest point. We can start rebuilding it from scratch once everything is over. And now, all that remains is…"

"The Demon God and his army." Arashi answered, and Shiki nodded.

The redhead placed one hand on the knob of the door, yet not turning it. "Fuuma Arashi, you've done lots of things for me without question. My work for the past few years would never have been made possible without you," she said. "Once your work is done, you know what to do." Arashi nodded. "With that…" Shiki turned the knob, opening the door slightly. "The rest is now up to you." She turned and walked past Arashi, clapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Good luck."

Arashi was silent for a long time as he listened to the slowly fading sounds of Shiki's footsteps before it faded away entirely. Finally, he then pushed the door opened and entered the room which at some point in time, had been some torture chamber.

Shimura Danzo, badly injured and chained up to the wall, was glaring at him with hatred with his one eye, yet Arashi ignored it. He walked slowly towards the cripple, the cause of his sister's death.

'_Sasame, this is for you.'_ Arashi thought to himself, slipping his hand into the holster attached to his left thigh, drawing out his handgun.

He remembered when Shiki had first approached him three months after Sasame had perished, with the most well thought out and cunning plan that he had ever seen coming from her.

"_What do you think that this country needs?" Shiki asked Arashi, both standing in front of the cremation panel where Sasame's ashes were cremated behind._

_Arashi snorted. "This country? In my opinion, it needs to be destroyed," he stated bluntly. "True justice and goodness no longer existed in this country. If it truly existed, people like Shimura Danzo wouldn't have been running around. And if it truly existed, the ANBU would have long taken care of Orochimaru without waiting for you and Ragnarok to do it."_

"_Then we're of the same opinion." Shiki smiled before turning her attention back towards Sasame's cremation panel. Silence fell between them both for several moments. "Arashi, I need your help with a plan of mine." She glanced at Arashi who is giving her his undivided attention. "A plan…to destroy the ANBU."_

The echoing sounds of Arashi's booted feet resounded throughout the small room, even as he took his own sweet time closing the gap between him and Shimura Danzo. With the number of chains and shackles that Shiki had put on the latter, with him being seriously injured atop of it, there is no way that he could escape.

"_It's done." Arashi listened to Shiki speak over the phone. "I got him."_

"_Really?" Arashi was slightly surprised that Shiki managed to get to the old War Hawk that quickly, even with the blueprints of his hiding place that Arashi had managed to get hold of, and had sent to Shiki. "Where is he now?"_

_There was silence for several moments before Shiki spoke again._

"_I've shown you a lot of places, and had even taught you a lot of sabotage methods," she said. "But there is one place that I believe to be more meaningful to you than any other. You should know where it is. I'll be waiting for you there. The life of Shimura Danzo will end tonight by your hands."_

"Don't think that this is over, _boy."_ Danzo hissed with pure contempt and hatred even as Arashi released the safety catch on his gun and pointed it at Danzo. "Even if you killed me, this country is finished anyway."

"I know that." Arashi stated, and Danzo's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "That had been the plan right from the start."

"_This country is finished now, with the demise of the High Council." Shiki stated. "We can no longer salvage the little good that is left. All that I can do is to destroy the remnants of the bad, and to rebuild everything from scratch. The Bijuu Nine took seven days to build this world. As such, that is the amount of time that I will take to destroy this country and the ANBU. And as promised, I will let you have your revenge. Shimura Danzo… This man is the last. It will then happen from here on out. The rest is up to you to decide. Good luck."_

"I am no fool, Shimura Danzo." Arashi stated emotionlessly. "Shiki is no fool either. We both knew that no matter how hard we tried, we could no longer save this country. The only way to do that is to destroy it, and then rebuild it from scratch after everything is over. If we earn the hatred of the people by doing this, then so be it. In order to create a new world where everyone is equal, and where nin-users are accepted, then we will accept the hatred of the people." He curled his finger around the trigger of his gun. "You killed my sister. You caused the deaths of countless others. Now it's time to pay your dues." He hissed, pressing the trigger of his gun. _"Game_ _over."_

BANG!

A gunshot rang out.

* * *

Outside the Lacoste Mansion, Shiki heard the faint sounds of a gunshot from deep within the mansion, and she then turned her eyes skywards to look at the blue skies, shielding her eyes from the sun.

This is the dawn of a new era for Japan. But before that, there will be nine days of Hell for them to go through, with the cause being a certain being by the name of the Demon God.

_This is going to be my last job._

Shiki remembered what Arashi had told her back then when she had first approached him after Sasame had died.

The redhead sighed before going towards her motorbike. _'The last, huh?'_ she mused. _'You might just be right about that. This is going to be our last one too. Everything… It will all begin from here. The pieces are all falling into place.'_ Shiki looked back towards the Lacoste Mansion, and then turned her eyes back towards the skies. _'I've fulfilled my promise. Now, I just have to fulfil one last mission.'_

Shiki got onto her bike before veering it into motion and speeded off.

_Death is always there. It lies in wait at every road, no matter which path you take._

_People are born, they live, and then die. Similar to that of a straight line, people have no choice but to follow it. And they are then left to live their lives knowing that the end is inevitable – that the only thing truly certain in this world is **Death.**_

_Sometimes, Death is the easy way out. Sometimes, it is the only escape. Death is cruel, feared by many, and sometimes **yearned** by many. And yet, there are people still eager to close their eyes at night, hoping that they will one day be able to open them in the morning._

_Such people are rare._

_Humans are indeed confusing._

_They fear Death above all else, and yet, at the same time, they also yearn for it._

* * *

_A/N: And we're now down to the climax of the story: the hunt of the Demon God is on! And Shiki is indeed a mystery, isn't she? Can anyone guess just what she is thinking, and what she had in mind for the world? Is she good, or is she evil?_

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration and the motivation to update!_


	38. The Beginning of the End

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Eight: The Beginning of the End**

Wrecked cars and destroyed streets were all that was left of the once proud and bustling town. Riots among the people were also currently going on in the streets, and corpses were littered just about everywhere.

Up on a nearby hill, Shiki lowered the binoculars from her eyes and frowned in disdain. "I don't believe this," she muttered, and muttered several curse words beneath her breath.

Fuuma Arashi who was standing next to her, armed with his own pair of binoculars sighed. "They're afraid," he said grimly. "The people suffering from the Death Syndrome is increasing in number, and not to mention that the Demon God's army have been sighted in several places. The ANBU is practically useless, and not to mention that we've basically cut them off at the knees. If we don't do something soon about the current situation, we're going to have more dead than alive in this country."

Shiki was silent for several moments before she glanced at Arashi. "Any news?"

Arashi nodded. "Not good ones though," he said grimly. "You know of the recent evacuations carried out by the ANBU?" Shiki nodded. Because of the spread of the Death Syndrome recently, Tsunade is evacuating the people from the areas hit hardest by the 'infection. "It isn't exactly going too well. The ANBU is losing patience. And not to mention the loss of two of their best teams a few months back. If this situation keeps up, we're going to have a worse situation than a civil war on our hands."

Shiki sighed. "So it begins," she stated. "The beginning of the end."

**XXXXXX**

_Forbidden Forest  
__Unknown Location_

"Well?" Temari demanded the instant that Sai and Sumaru both returned. The two boys shook their heads, and Temari sighed. "It's been over two weeks. Where the hell is that girl?"

"And the current situation with the country had me worried." Haku stated. "Shiki can take care of herself; I'm not worried about her. But if the situation escalates any further, we're going to have something worse than a civil war on our hands."

"What about the rest of the ANBU?" Deidara asked with concern, and every single Ragnarok member turned sharply into his direction. "Are they fine?"

Sai looked oddly at Deidara and the rest of the former ANBUs who have slightly concerned looks on their faces, but he shrugged. "As far as I know, they're fine. They're still alive, if that's what you want to know, and trying to get the current situation under control." He spoke with the slight disdain and disgust that nearly every single member of Ragnarok and the underworld had for the law enforcer agency in Japan. Only Itachi, Kisame, Sasuke and Shikamaru, along with a few of the more observant ones managed to catch the disdain in Sai's voice.

Yugito whose temper had been bubbling real close to the surface ever since Shiki's disappearance twitched dangerously and turned and glared at the former ANBUs. "So it's fine if the rest of the ANBU are all right, but not fine at all if they are injured?" she said, her voice dangerously low and calm.

Ragnarok all took a step back from Yugito, recognising the danger signs immediately. They recognised those signs as Yugito being pissed. And when Yugito is pissed, you'd best start praying. For a nin-user who had powers to animate the dead as well as to torture you psychologically, you'd best fear that girl.

"Huh?" Deidara stared on blankly, not knowing just what is up with Yugito.

"I've been wanting to say this to you lot for some time now." Yugito gritted her teeth together tightly, her eyes flashing daggers. "Just how many people do you think have died when you bombed the TV station back then?" Her voice raised in volume.

The former ANBUs all flinched and winced as if they have just been slapped, particularly Akatsuki. None of them have forgotten that disastrous event, and just how angry that Ragnarok had been at that time, especially Shiki. The underworld had been furious with them as well, and the ANBU's informants have then disappeared from their radar after that.

Fortunately for the ANBUs, before Yugito could tear into them, the blaring ringtone of a cellphone blared loud and clear, startling everyone in the vicinity. The uneasy and cold atmosphere disappeared just as soon as it had begun as Sumaru calmly fished out his cellphone and answered the call.

"Hello?" he spoke into the receiver. The eyes of one of the two leaders of Baled then shot opened in shock as he listened to what the caller on the other end of the line has to say. "Hang on; I'll put you on speaker phone." Sumaru then pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Sumaru? Who is it?" Hinata asked curiously.

Sumaru didn't answer. Instead, he pressed some buttons on his phone and laid it in the palm of his hand. "Okay, everyone can hear you now."

"_Hey guys. Sorry to make you worry like that."_

The voice that came from Sumaru's phone caused everyone to blanch.

"Shiki?" Gaara demanded, making a move as if he is about to snatch Sumaru's phone from his hand. "Where have you been the past two weeks?"

"_Sorry. I was busy."_

"Too busy to even give a call to tell us that you're fine?" Haku said sarcastically. "The assassinations of the members of the High Council save for Senju Tsunade and Mei-san is you, right?"

There was a sigh. _"Yeah."_

"And? What are you up to the past week after that then?" Neji demanded.

There was another sigh. _"I was investigating."_

"Investigating _what?"_ Temari had all but demanded. The blonde girl didn't look it, but she is kind of like the 'big sister' of their little group, worrying about their health and all that. Shiki just so happens to be her favourite person to worry over, with the redhead being as reckless as she is.

There was silence before Shiki spoke again. _"Do you guys remember Hidan, and how he had died nearly a year ago?"_

"Yeah, we do." Hinata answered, glancing at the slightly guilty-looking faces of the ANBUs. "We were just talking about it last week."

"_I had been investigating that. I have two reasons for the assassinations of the members of the High Council. The first is to remove the bad eggs from the ruling seats of the country. The second is to create a big enough distraction so that the ANBU won't even have the resources and the time to go after us. My plan worked, and I managed to get most of the information that I need. I'll sum it up for you. It is as we've feared, Sumaru, Sai. The ANBU have been conducting experiments on their own people – mainly those from the Covert Ops that Hidan had been a part of. Mainly because they aren't on record anywhere, and they wouldn't be missed. Hidan was part of those experiments. And of course, none of them were volunteers in those experiments."_

There was deadly silence, and Sai nearly groaned. "I was afraid of that," he muttered.

"Sai, you knew?" Haku asked him, shocked.

"I have a suspicion, but I don't know for sure." Sai admitted. "That's what I was investigating for the past month or so ever since _they_ came to you." He glanced at the ANBUs. "I told Shiki about it, and she said that she'll look into it."

"_It's an experiment to increase the powers and abilities of a nin-user artificially. Or even to give a normal human nin-user abilities. A by-product of Orochimaru's experiments."_

There was deadly silence.

"So…it's true then?" Sumaru asked, sounding oddly spooked.

"_Yeah. I've confirmed it. And Arashi has found evidence supporting it."_

"Where were those experiments being held?" Sasuke asked, his voice shaky. "Experiments like this… It has to be wide scale. And it has to be near ANBU Headquarters if it is indeed the ANBU that is behind this."

"_Oh, it's nearer than we thought," _said Shiki, sarcasm entering her voice. _"It's at Leaf Hospital."_

Konan almost collapsed to the ground had Nagato not supported her, her legs seemingly unable to support her anymore. The former ANBUs erupted with protests, shock and disbelief written all over their faces and their voices. These shocking revelations one after the other ever since their mass desertion from the ANBU had been turning their world upside down.

"No way! There's just no way!" Kiba shouted, shaking his head repeatedly. "We went to Leaf Hospital often for our monthly evaluation and check up that is mandatory for all ANBU agents! We would have seen it if—"

"_It isn't on the surface." _Shiki interrupted Kiba's tirade. _"The real lab is underground – below the morgue. From what Arashi and I could find out, this isn't happening just recently. They've been at it for years – mostly probably ever since the end of the last war."_

"That had to be at least ten or so years." Shikamaru whispered, sounding and looking very sick. "The hospital was destroyed during the war, and it was only rebuilt after the war ended, and when the civil war begun. You're telling us that these…experiments had been performed on our own people for that period of time?"

"_Yeah. Leaf Hospital is just a cover – a front for the experiments." _Shiki sounded very tired. _"Some of the patients who didn't have anyone to vouch for them – orphans, were transferred to the 'Special Unit'. That 'unit' is the experimental lab underground."_

"But…Hidan escaped, didn't he?" Neji asked shakily, remembering just how the man had looked like when they have found him.

"_Those 'failed experiments' were kept in underground prisons in Leaf Hospital – just hastily made tunnels really. Hidan and a couple of his ANBU comrades in the Covert Ops were delirious from the experiments, but coherent enough to think of an escape plan. They started digging their way out. And they would have succeeded in their escape as well. Too bad that they ran smack into a wall."_

"A…wall…?" Konan asked.

"_Leaf Hospital has been abandoned ever since you lot have deserted a couple of months back." _Shiki informed them. _"Thus, we don't have much problems getting into the hospital for investigations. A wall was erected in the underground tunnel where the failed experiments were kept. They won't be getting out alive, if at all. From what Arashi could summarise, particularly from the reports found in the lab, they took Hidan for further experiments because of his unique ability over blood. But Hidan managed to escape."_

"No way…" Chouji looked as if he is about to be sick.

"_I have further information about the ANBU's plans when I broke into ANBU Headquarters three days ago." _Shiki told them, and everyone hung onto her every word. _"And I've also contacted one of my contacts who confirmed the info that I've gotten. The ANBU has given the order to evacuate the villages and towns that has a case of the Death Syndrome. But the infection is spreading, even to normal humans that didn't have the N-Gene in their veins. They can no longer contain the infection. Tsunade is losing patience. Thus, she's set a time limit: three months. In three months, if something isn't done soon, this entire country will be sanitized."_

Deadly silence fell among them, and no one spoke for several moments, feeling oddly spooked.

Itachi was the first to break the silence, sounding oddly spooked. "When you say 'sanitized', do you mean…?" he trailed off uneasily.

"They're going to use a nuke? A nuke bomb?" Deidara questioned, his voice dangerously low. He used to be part of the firearms department in the ANBU before transferring to the Akatsuki after all. He knows the codes that they use in there.

"_Yeah." _Shiki sounded very tired as she said so, and no one can blame her.

"No way. There is just no way." Konan shook her head repeatedly, refusing to believe what she's hearing. "There's no way that the ANBU or Tsunade-sama even would go to that extent! There's just no way that they will get away with this! This isn't something that the ANBU is capable of!"

"Not capable?" Sasori who had been extremely silent spoke up just then, looking directly at Konan's pale face. "Konan, you were there that night – the night at the TV station. And then when we were given the order to stop an _immortal army _of the fucking _Demon God _himself. We're mere pawns to them. Dispensable pawns. And you of all people should know just how far that the ANBU would go to."

"And a nuke would solve all their problems quickly. All witnesses would be wiped out. Including the infection." Kisame realised. "And probably, the very existence of the Demon God as well. That includes the country itself."

Lee looked very pale. "Cover up?" he squeaked.

"_The cover-up had already been prepared. A civil war. A greater one this time. The combination of the powers of every single nin-user in the country." _Shiki sounded tired. _"After the sanitization, Senju Tsunade plans on heading to a country where she had some assets and power, and even influence, and continuing her reign of power from there. A country that is hers to rule."_

"She's going to pin this on the nin-users?" Kiba erupted, enraged. "I can't believe this!"

"_There is a reason why I've left the ANBU alone so far. If I take them out, along with the High Council, there will be panic in the city. This country will be destroyed by their own people even before the Demon God has a chance to do so._

"So what?" Gaara asked. "What should we do now?"

"_We hunt the Demon God down," _said Shiki firmly. _"It's either that, or we get the hell out of Japan within three months. And let me tell you this now: it's not going to be easy. Checkpoints have been set up, and the seas and skies monitored closely by patrols. Anyone even remotely suspicious was shot, no questions asked. The ANBU are all extremely high strung. Black Ops were stationed at every checkpoint. There is no escape."_

"There's no way…" Sasuke whispered.

"_I'll call you guys back later. I have to check something out. Just sit tight at the Forbidden Forest, and don't go anywhere." Click._

Silence fell after Shiki ended the call, and looks were exchanged.

"There must be something we can do!" Lee blurted out. "It's just…not right! Eliminating an entire country is just…"

"Well, how smart of you! What do you think that we have been trying to do for the past six months? And so, what do you suggest we do then?" Temari asked, her voice dangerously polite and calm.

Gaara sighed, interrupting an argument before it could escalate. "Let's just wait here until Shiki gets back," he said solemnly. "I'm sure that she has a plan. She always does. Haste only makes waste. Let's wait."

**XXXXXX**

_Mist's Headquarters  
__Unknown Location_

A mountain of books is starting to build up on the table as the minutes ticked by, with Shiki remaining in the archives section of Mist headquarters, searching for any information that she could find on the Demon God and just how to kill him for good.

Finally, Shiki closed the book that she had been reading with a light clap, a thoughtful look on her face. The information that she had came across is one of the oldest myths in Japan regarding the Bijuu Nine, but then again, there is always a grain of truth in myths.

"Three blades for the Universe in the kingdoms of the sky. Seven shields for the Nomads that travels the world, forever alone. Nine keys for the immortal Gods on their ivory thrones. One book to rule the world, the one that can kill an immortal, the Book of Dead." Shiki muttered. "Nine… Nine keys. The Book of Dead. The Catalyst. What does it mean?" She wondered. "How do I stop him?"

Her cellphone blared with the ringtone just then, and Shiki answered the call. "What?"

It was Sai on the other line. _"I think you'd best get back. As quick as you can." _He sounded worried. _"Sumaru caught an ANBU spy trying to sneak into our base at Shinjuku, apparently trying to assassinate Utakata. Sumaru wasn't pleased with him, and it is all that I could do to stop him from killing the poor bastard. Gaara suggested keeping the spy alive, as we might get more information out of him, seeing as how we no longer have any inside contacts in the ANBU."_

Shiki sighed. "Okay. I'll be right over."

* * *

The ANBU spy was bound to a chair inside one of the tents that Tenten and Temari have both hastily put up, whilst Gaara and Neji have both tried their hands at making the guy crack. Thus far, it hasn't been going so well.

"Nothing yet?" Hinata asked as Haku stepped out from the interrogation tent, with the former ANBUs staring at her curiously. Not a single person in Ragnarok is willing to let the former ANBUs try their hand at interrogation, for various reasons.

Haku shook her head. "It's been nearly eight hours. I must admit, I kind of admire his perseverance. Gaara had already been forced to crush an arm and a foot, and still, he refuses to speak."

The ANBUs winced at this statement. They have seen first hand the state of the victims that have suffered at Gaara's hand, and knew just how painful it could be to suffer at Gaara's hands.

A slight movement in a corner caused everyone present to look up only to see Shino getting up from his place in front of the fire. Haku raised an eyebrow. "Shino?"

"It's been long enough." Shino said in his usual monotone voice. "I'll do it." He then turned and looked into the direction of the Bijuu Shrine before turning back to Haku. "Besides, it won't be a good idea if Shiki do it. She'll likely kill the guy, given her mood these days."

Haku nodded silently before Shino entered the interrogation tent. Three minutes later, a shadow moved about in the tent and Neji exited. Without saying a single word, Neji took down the flap to cover the entrance of the tent and stood guard outside.

"What was that all about?" Kisame asked, turning towards his sister.

Haku sighed. "Trust me, you don't want to see it first hand if Shino extracts information from a prisoner. His 'method' is usually what we used to get out information from some of the harder to crack prisoners that we ran into over the years. Shino can extract information from someone just by touching them. But the side effects…" She trailed off, exchanging looks with her comrades, and Hinata coughed. "It won't be pleasant."

"Won't be pleasant?" Sasuke asked.

A bloodcurdling scream echoed just then, and all Ragnarok members winced visibly.

"That was fast." Gaara muttered. "Let's see if Shino will break his last record. It will only be a matter of time. He will break soon enough."

**XXXXXX**

_Bijuu Shrine  
__Forbidden Forest_

"So that's what it means…" Shiki muttered, glancing at the murals on the walls of the shrine, as she stood before the crystals in the room. "So that's what it is." She closed her eyes briefly. "This world is now rotten. Is that what you meant? Answer me. How do I stop him? Answer me!"

A flurry of images rushed past her eyes, almost like a movie on fast forward. Wars. Battles. Suffering. Death. Rebirth. Restart. Cosmic. And at the end of it, nine glowing keys, on nine glowing columns. One book in the middle of the circle created, with an unknown person, back facing her, reading from it, a plant in the left hand, the book in the right hand.

Shiki opened her eyes slowly. "The Nine Keys…" she muttered. "So we must really find those keys then…" She clenched her hand into a fist slowly. "How much longer do we have? How much longer until this world ends? It's so typical of you gods. You like to play with us humans way too much."

But there was no answer.

There was a loud creak just then, and Shiki glanced over her shoulder only to see Haku entering cautiously. For the past month or so, Shiki had been pretty irritable and had a tendency to kick just about anyone who had stepped on her toes.

"Shiki?" Haku called out cautiously. "Am I disturbing anything?" Shiki shook her head silently, and Haku breathed a sigh of relief. "Shino managed to break the prisoner. We got new information, and it isn't good." A dark look passed over Haku's face momentarily before she breathed in once more. "Gaara is gathering everyone. All of us need to hear this. And from the looks of things, it isn't pretty."

* * *

"_What?"_

Shino winced visibly from his place in between Hinata and Neji. He knew that his comrades, and not to mention the ANBU won't be happy to hear about this piece of news. He had to admit; the prisoner sure has some guts. It took him over an hour just to make the guy crack, and he had killed him quickly afterwards, his head still reeling over the revelations.

"The ANBU is panicking. Or at least, Tsunade is." Shino repeated his words. "The infection is spreading faster than thought possible, and Tsunade is panicking. They can't contain it any longer. In one final attempt to stop the spread, they…" He trailed off, unsure if he should continue.

"What?" Konan asked, panicked, not liking the look on Shino's face.

Neji took pity on Shino and decided to answer for him. He had overheard the entire interrogation from start to end, considering the fact that he had been standing guard outside the tent the entire time when Shino was performing the interrogation.

"Execution." Neji said heavily, and everyone turned towards the Hyuuga sharply. The little colour that is still left in their faces drained away rapidly. Neji looked from face to face seriously. "They can no longer contain the infection. Thus, the ANBU are taking drastic measures. They've been executing all those who show signs of the infection instead of quarantining them like they have been for the past four months. Now, as long as a single person shows signs of the infection, the town or the village that they live in will be…wiped out." He looked from face to face wearily; each face wearing similar looks of horror on it. "Sanitized."

The silence was so deafening that one could even hear a pin drop in the room.

"No…way…" Kiba choked, his face pale and one of horror. "No way… There's just no way that the ANBU would go this far!"

Hinata chuckled darkly. "They wouldn't go this far?" she echoed Kiba's words, and the brunette turned towards Hinata. "You know the truth in your heart. You know it. If they can bring themselves to use genocide to wipe out Baled's base, they will do it again if they think that they can contain the infection."

"We haven't heard anything about this." Nagato muttered. "And if this is true, the people will be rioting."

Shiki shook her head. "No. I know how the minds of people work," she said gravely. "They're scared right now. Positively terrified. The Demon God is a force of nature. He cannot be stopped by human means. And coupled with this infection, and with the ANBU's drastic methods to stop it…" She trailed off. "They probably think that they're doing the right thing. Besides, all of them are too scared to even worry about others. They will want to get out of Japan first thing." She sighed. "Riots will soon begin, trust me on this. Chaos will soon reign on this country."

"Genocide… You've got to be kidding me!" Sasuke exploded. "There must be a better way than this!"

"They believed that what they're doing is the right thing. They don't need any other reason." Tenten stated. "That's why the underworld despises the ANBU. But if it's one thing that we've learned, it is that sometimes, the decisions that you make, if it turns out to be the wrong ones, it might and can cause consequences."

"Consequences?" Deidara asked.

Temari sighed. "In the worse case scenario, like what is happening now, the world might burn," she stated. "And with the way that the ANBU is going now, it won't be long."

Shiki stood up silently, a dark look on her face, and everyone turned towards her. "All right. I've heard enough. We're going on a little job," she said grimly. "Haku. Neji. Gaara. Yugito. Four of you, with me. The rest of you, _stay here." _She made an emphasis on the last two words before turning and walking away, followed by the four whom she'd singled out.

Temari sighed. "Oh boy. Looks like someone is going to die tonight," she stated, and the ANBU went pale. "Shiki's pissed. _Real_ pissed. I hadn't seen her this angry ever since Kankuro had died. Someone is definitely going to die tonight."

"Yeah." Tenten agreed with Temari. _"A lot _of someones."

Lee frowned. "So what? We fight genocide with genocide? How does that makes her any better than the ANBU or even Orochimaru? People deserve a second chance, no matter what. That makes her nothing but a murder—"

Before Lee could finish his sentence, he suddenly found himself being lifted nearly five inches off the ground, grabbed by the throat. Tenten's eyes were flashing dangerously as she closed her fingers around his throat, whilst Temari had a dagger against his neck, her own eyes flashing murder.

Sasuke groaned and palmed his face whilst the remaining ANBUs watched on. "One of these days, that mouth of yours is going to write a cheque that you can't afford to cash in, Lee," he muttered. "And insulting the leader of Ragnarok in front of her people is a _very_ bad and stupid thing to do. Even _Kiba _knew that, and he isn't the smartest person around."

"Hey!" An affronted Kiba shouted. "What is _that _supposed to mean?"

"Ten, let him go." Hinata said calmly. "Shiki won't be happy if you killed him, even if you _are_ defending her honour."

Tenten grumbled something beneath her breath before releasing Lee, causing him to drop down on his behind, gasping for air, and cradling his throat. "Now you listen to me! You insult Shiki one more time, and you won't need that mouth of yours anymore!" Tenten snarled. "Just one more word against Shiki _or _Ragnarok, and I will finish what Temari had started in ANBU HQ months ago!"

"Tenten, calm down!" Sai tried to calm the infuriated girl before she burns the entire forest down in a fit of anger.

"Besides, I think you people have the wrong idea about Shiki," said Sumaru calmly. "She isn't a bad person. The underworld can only survive until today because of Shiki. Granted, her methods might be a little…unorthodox at times—"

"You can say that again." Deidara muttered, only to receive a glare from Itachi.

"—but it is needed, because it is a cruel world that we live in." Sumaru continued, pretending that he hadn't heard Deidara. "All of us…" He gestured towards himself, Sai and the remaining members of Ragnarok. "We were all forced to grow up extremely quickly. Forced to fight and to kill just to survive. This is the way that this world works. Many people gave into the harsh reality of the world, and they died."

"Shiki said something about this once." Itachi muttered. "She says that life is just like a game. If you win, you can live to see another day. But if you lose, you die."

"Yeah, she's mentioned something along those lines once during our days with Blade." Sai admitted, exchanging looks with Sumaru. "That was a little after Riku joined us, I believe." He looked at Sumaru questioningly who nodded in response.

"I think it has something to do with her childhood." Sumaru piped in, and Ragnarok and the ANBU blinked.

"You knew?" Shino asked, very surprised.

Not even Ragnarok knew about Shiki's past, unless you count the Nonary Game that she was forced to partake in as a child. But before that, nothing. They only knew that she is an orphan, and was bounced around foster homes as a child. And then again, she is a nin-user, and quite a powerful one at that. So again, that is no surprise.

Sai and Sumaru exchanged looks between themselves before turning back to the other. "Yeah, we knew. From what we heard, not even Ragnarok knew what had happened," said Sai seriously. "And we only knew because Riku managed to convince Shiki to tell him back during our Blade days. It took him over two weeks to convince her to tell him. And I still have no idea how he managed to do that. Shiki really isn't the type to part with information that she knew willingly, especially after having already declined to part with said information." He added.

Sumaru grinned. "Well, she's still like this now. She never changes."

Ragnarok exchanged grins.

Sai sighed. "Yeah. That's why she took it so hard when Riku…" he trailed off. He then cleared his throat. "Well, from what we knew from Riku, Shiki was abused as a child. She's a nin-user after all. One of the more powerful ones, in fact. Back then, she can't control her powers. Thus, every foster home that she went to, she faced the same thing. Abused. Starved. And sometimes, even torture." The ANBU flinched. "The worse case was experimentation." He looked from face to face. "Keep in mind that this is the time of the civil war. A murder or abuse of a nin-user isn't too important in the eyes of the High Council or the ANBU at that time. That's why Shiki ran away repeatedly until she had the misfortune to run into Orochimaru."

Shikamaru started choking on air. "O-O-_Orochimaru?" _he nearly screeched.

Sumaru nodded solemnly. "Apparently, she had very strong survival skills even as a kid. She disappeared off the radar for nearly a year until she somehow managed to escape and came to Hagako. And from what we heard, that is where she ran into her godfather."

"The last war and the aftermath, and even the civil war that had lasted for over a decade was very bad." Sai added. "People went missing or even turned up dead all the time. Thus the state of the underworld back then that lasted until today. The underworld was on the verge of destruction back then. It was all a matter of survival for us, and the other underworld gangs. That's why Shiki stepped in back then when another civil war was close to breaking out when the underworld decided that they had enough. She knew that if another civil war was to break out, it would be the end of Japan."

There was silence.

Chouji spoke up just then, his voice very small. "Then… Why did you kill all those innocent people throughout the years?" he asked, looking as if he wished he could just disappear, judging by the disgusted looks on the faces of the Ragnarok members that were all glaring at him.

"Innocent? You can sit there and tell me that with a straight face?" Tenten said sarcastically, playing with one of her knives. "How innocent is a man who performed _inhumane _experiments on people, particularly on _children,_ and don't feel the least bit remorseful for what he did? How innocent is a fucking whore who uses _our_ name to torment an innocent woman who merely found out something that she shouldn't have? How innocent is a pair of parents who actually tried killing their own children?" The ANBUs flinched back at Tenten's angry tirade. The years of frustration and anger at the ANBU all rushing out like a torrent. "You tell me then." Tenten breathed heavily. "How innocent is that?"

"People deserve a second chance, no matter what." Lee muttered, though not really believing in those words any longer.

"I used to think that too." Tenten smiled a bittersweet smile. "At least until _someone _took my father away." Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. "At that time, it was Shiki who had saved me. And like all of us here…" She gestured towards the rest of Ragnarok, and even Sai and Sumaru. "We owe our lives to her."

"Besides, if you people have seen what _we've_ seen, you wouldn't be saying what you're saying," said Hinata, adding in her own input. "We know how cruel people can be. We knew _exactly_ just how far people could go to." The dark looks that appeared on their faces told the ANBUs that what they've seen is probably beyond anything that they could comprehend. "And trust me, what _you've_ seen and done is _nothing_ compared to what we've seen and done. Unlike you people, we didn't run from reality. We are not cowards. We do not fear Death." Hinata's eyes seemed to pierce right into their souls, and the ANBUs could not bring themselves to look away. "Just look around at the streets, and you'll see one of the seven deadly sins at every corner that you look. This is the kind of world that we now live in. Furthermore, I agree with Shiki: this world isn't worth saving. Not any longer."

"We follow Shiki because we owe her our lives." Shino added, making everyone jump at hearing the normally silent boy speak up. "We follow her because we know we can trust her with our lives. We'll gladly die for her if the need arises. And unlike most leaders, Shiki would rather sacrifice her own life than let any of us die." He looked from face to face. "We like her ideals. And we each swore that we would help her achieve it."

"Shiki might want you here, but make no mistake; she doesn't trust you. None of us do." Temari added, narrowing her eyes at the ANBU. "And from what you've done to us over the years, I don't blame her in the least. On the day that my brother…died, she got pissed. Angriest that I've ever seen her before." She added, recalling how…silently angry that Shiki had been. "Before that, Shiki didn't want any of us to harm the ANBU. But after Kankuro, and then Sasame died, she snapped. She saw red, and told us that the gloves are off. Thus the underground war between the ANBU and the underworld."

Shikamaru nodded slowly, slowly understanding several of Ragnarok's reasoning and motives throughout the years. "I get the 'don't trust us' part, but I would have thought that she would have gotten a few of us to head with her to do whatever she is going to do to the ANBU." He said absently. "We know ANBU headquarters inside out after all." He added. The tactical genius knew _exactly_ what is going on in the head of the leader of Ragnarok, and he had a hunch what she is going to do.

"Of course Shiki wouldn't get any of you to go with her." Sumaru snorted in disbelief. "The 'not trusting you' part set aside, that girl isn't heartless, you know? The ANBU used to be your home after all. It's the only one that you knew and got. Shiki wouldn't force you to fight your once comrades. She knows that you wouldn't be able to go through with it. And the fact that she doesn't trust you fully yet set aside, if the news leak out that former ANBUs are killing ANBUs, it would create an even worse panic."

Shikamaru blinked. He hadn't thought of that. "Oh right."

Temari snorted. "You don't think that Ragnarok can survive until today by being careless, do you?" she questioned. "You ANBU might be able to think two steps or even three steps ahead, but Shiki thinks about five steps ahead of everyone else. The world's best spymaster trained her after all."

"I never thought that I'll ever say this, but I kind of feel sorry for the ANBU right now." Sasori muttered.

**XXXXXX**

_Click._

Senju Tsunade stared on in fear as she stared at the barrel of a revolver held in the hand of none other than the leader of Ragnarok herself. And Namikaze Shiki looked _pissed._

ANBU headquarters is currently trembling, with explosions going on in some corner, rubble and debris raining down around their heads, but the redhead doesn't seem to care. "You know, I have no intention of killing you, despite what I've done to the shithead that you call the ANBU Chief, and those politicians that you call the High Council." Shiki hissed. "I bore the _things_ that you blonde bimbo had done for the past several years, and I still took it when you ordered the death of my friend. But what you've done to your own people and to the citizens of the nation now… _I can take it no longer!"_

BOOM!

Another part of ANBU headquarters was blown up, and Tsunade winced. "You'll die too if you don't get out of ANBU headquarters now," she said.

"Does it look like I care?" Shiki hissed, and Tsunade's eyes widened. This girl… She really isn't afraid of Death, is she? "I'll take you down with me if it's the last thing I do! This is for Kankuro, Sasame, Miyuki, Suzuki, Ein, and all the others!"

The door to the office of the ANBU commander flew opened with a crash just then, and Haku and Gaara both stood at the doorway, panting heavily, minor injuries on their person, with each wielding a gun each, daggers visible in the holsters by their sides. Flames were just visible just behind them, not exactly flanking them into the office yet.

"Shiki, come on! The building is about to go down!" Haku urged. "Yugito has set the bomb. It's set to go off in thirty seconds!"

Shiki glanced at them over her shoulder and turned her attention back to Tsunade. She narrowed her eyes. This woman hasn't suffered enough… Not yet…

_Twenty five seconds._

"Go," said Shiki coolly, not taking her eyes off of Tsunade. The blonde woman tried to inch her hand towards her right thigh, and Shiki fired a shot next to her head. Tsunade froze in her tracks, and Shiki narrowed her eyes dangerously. "The next shot won't miss." She warned.

_Eighteen seconds._

"What?" Gaara's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? Come on, let's go!"

_Fifteen seconds._

"Didn't you both hear me? I said, go!" Shiki snapped. "I'll join you in a moment. Just go!"

"But—" Haku started, but Gaara held her back, glancing at Shiki with a knowing look.

"You'll come back alive, right?" Gaara asked, and Shiki gave a miniscule nod, not turning around to look at them. "Good. Because we still need you. Our work isn't done yet. We swore to stop the Demon God together. We'll build a better world for the nin-users. We'll stop the war. You promised us that."

_Ten seconds._

"Yeah. I intend to keep it," said Shiki, still not turning around. "Go."

Haku looked as if she wanted to say something, but Gaara grabbed her by the shoulder. "Haku, let's go," he said firmly before he practically dragged Haku out of the office despite her protests.

Tsunade stared at Shiki in fear. "Just…what are you?" she choked out. "You… You don't fear Death at all. You're not afraid to die."

_Five seconds._

A very thin smile spread over Shiki's face as she shifted her gun so that she is pointing it straight at the forehead of the ANBU commander. "Dying is what every human, every being does after all. It is all part of the natural cycle," she stated. "I do not fear Death. After all, Death is just the beginning of another greater adventure."

_One second._

Shiki closed her eyes briefly. _'This is it,' _she thought.

BOOM!

A huge explosion rocked the entire ANBU headquarters, engulfing it entirely in flames.


	39. Siren's Call

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Nine: Siren's Call**

_Forbidden Forest  
__Unknown Location_

"The realisation of a new world…" Nara Shikamaru mused, his fingers curled before his mouth, looking at the flickering flames of the fire in front of him. He then looked up, looking from face to face, particularly the remaining Ragnarok members, and the two survivors of the street gang Blade, and now the leaders of the resistance movement Baled. "Did anyone tell you that it might be a fruitless endeavour? That it might all come to naught? That this is just an idealistic dream? That this might just be nothing but a fool's hope?"

Itachi blinked and was jerked violently from his thoughts at Shikamaru's words. His words had rang a chord in his heart, causing him to recall a long time memory…

"_An idealistic dream…" Itachi muttered. "One that might never bear fruit."_

"_Maybe it's just as you've said." Shiki agreed, much to Itachi's surprise. "Maybe this is just a fool's errand." She glanced at him, her cheeks having a slight flush to them because of the consummation of alcohol. "But better to be a fool than to live your life knowing nothing at all."_

Sai smirked, and Temari chuckled darkly to herself. Tenten said nothing, but continued sharpening her daggers with the slab of stone that she has.

"More than one person had said that to us in the past." Temari stated. "In fact, we said the same thing to Shiki before too. And fools, huh?" She mused. "I suppose that in a way, you're right. But we have all been fools right from the beginning anyway… Fools chasing after an idealistic dream…" Her eyes darkened. "But it's better to be a fool, than to live your life knowing nothing at all."

Itachi's eyes widened.

_We have been fools right from the start anyway. Fools chasing after an idealistic dream… One that might never bear fruit. But better to be a fool, than to live your life knowing nothing at all._

"Shiki…said something like this once." Itachi murmured, and every single person turned towards him. He looked tortured. "What does this mean?"

Sai and Sumaru exchanged quick looks between themselves. They looked towards Ragnarok briefly before Sumaru sighed. "We grew up together with Shiki in Hagako," he begun. "That was during the nightmarish era of the City of the Dead. And it is during the time of the civil war, so I imagine that you knew just how hard living can be." He received nods from all around. "Seriously, we still have no idea just how we've managed to make it through that nightmarish era, but we did. However that we've managed to do it is thanks to Shiki." He smiled a grim smile. "And Riku. Both of them never gave up. That's why we never did either."

"During Ragnarok's…inception, things weren't so easy and smooth for us either, especially during the time of the civil war." Temari commented. She looked around. "I have been one of the first members of Ragnarok even before it was founded, and I was there when Shiki created our group all the way to when we started gaining a name for ourselves. Things weren't always so easy and smooth for us. Our main problem at the time of our inception wasn't the ANBU or the country itself." Her eyes darkened. "It was the underworld."

Sasuke was confused. "Huh?"

Ragnarok's current strongest supporters formerly one of their biggest problems?

"At that time, the underworld was in a pretty bad state because of the war." Shino spoke up. "They were nearly on the verge of extinction, and the ANBU closing in on them isn't making things any easier either. As much as I hate to admit it, part of it has to do with us nin-users. Some of the members of the underworld even thought that if only we hadn't existed, then they wouldn't be in this sorry state that they are now in." Shino sighed, glancing at his comrades. "Similar to the current situation at hand, only ten times as worst. That's what things are like back then."

Nagato nodded slowly. He had never really been involved in the underworld circle; thus, he wouldn't know the situation with them back then. Among the former ANBUs, only Itachi, Kisame, Deidara and Kiba were formerly involved with the underworld circle. And they've always seemed reluctant to talk about it.

Temari smirked. "Yeah, some of them said as much to Shiki's face at that time when one of her friends called in a favour with her for some help," she explained. "Shiki plain lost it. She lost her temper."

Sai and Sumaru exchanged looks. They've only ever seen Shiki get mad just one time during their Blade days, and they never wanted to see her get angry again.

_Fool, huh? You might just be right. After all, what the hell am I even doing, putting my neck on the line for a bunch of ingrates and fools like you? I'm sick and tired of everything. No one has ever treated us like we're humans right from the beginning anyway. The High Council didn't accept us. This country definitely didn't. And now…you people too. I'm tired of putting up with all this. You want to see a real demon; I'll show you one. I just about had it. I'm not going to put up with any shit from anyone any longer. I'll change the world. With any means necessary. You might call me a fool. And you might just be right. But we have all been fools right from the start anyway! Clinging onto a hopeless dream, chasing after an idealistic world. But it's better to be a fool, than to live your life knowing nothing at all! And I can promise you this now: when I make you a promise, I don't break it. We nin-users don't go back on our word._

"That's what she said at that time." Temari sighed, curling her fingers together, ignoring the gobsmacked expressions on the ANBUs' faces. "Maybe it is the way that she had phrased her words, or maybe it is her charisma… But whatever it is, there is just something about Shiki that _makes_ us want to believe in her. The entire underworld was won over with just that one sentence. Maybe it's because no one had ever tried to help them before. Or maybe it's because she is the first one to want to do something about it. But whatever it is, she has the support of the underworld. And when Shiki says that she will do something, she will do it. That's just the kind of person she is. That's why everyone trusts her and follows her."

There was silence for several moments.

"She's a strange one too." Kisame snorted.

**XXXXXX**

"Gaara!" Haku called out to the redhead as he walked and stumbled over the numerous broken planks and huge chunks of cement over the ground, searching for one person in particular. The once grand and huge ANBU headquarters is now nothing more than a heap of debris, courtesy of Yugito's bomb.

The four Ragnarok members have managed to make it out before the bomb had gone off, but they weren't able to find their leader anywhere, and this had made them worried, particularly Gaara who had always been a little protective over Shiki.

"Where are you?" Gaara growled, upturning another huge chunk of cement only to see a dead ANBU agent staring up at him, his glassy eyes staring at nothing in particular. "Shiki! You're not dead, aren't you? You promised! You promised to return with us!"

Yugito who is upturning several cement chunks and broken planks hissed to herself as she upturned a particularly large cement chunk, and whistled to her comrades. "Hey guys, come take a look."

"What? Did you find Shiki?" Neji asked hopefully, as the three of them made it over to Yugito.

The blonde girl shook her head and jerked her chin towards the body that she had found. The four Ragnarok members fell silent when they saw the glassy eyes of Senju Tsunade staring back at them, with her body apparently being broken in several different places, a large and long wooden stake going through her chest and out on the other end.

And Shiki was nowhere to be found.

"Well, Shiki is definitely alive then." Haku commented.

"You people are Ragnarok?" A low and calm voice spoke from behind them just then, causing all four Ragnarok members to take up defensive positions, turning around sharply. "Your leader is fine."

Someone wearing a black cloak that covers him – they were pretty sure that it's a he at least – was standing behind them, with an unconscious Namikaze Shiki being carried bridal style in his arms, apparently injured.

"Shiki!" Gaara ran towards the cloaked figure, with the other three close on his heels. Yugito was wary of the mysterious figure, as is Haku.

Apparently, the cloaked figure knew what they're thinking as well. "I'm a friend of Shiki's," he stated, pulling down his hood, revealing a handsome face framed with dark violet blue hair and beautiful azure blue eyes that spoke of wisdom and strength. "Come with me. You guys need to get out of here immediately. Any remaining survivors would soon be swarming around."

Without waiting for a reply, he immediately turned and walked towards the west side, still carrying Shiki in his arms. The Ragnarok members exchanged looks and shrugged, following the guy. They don't trust him, but he hasn't tried to harm them or Shiki thus far, so maybe they can trust him.

They've walked for about ten minutes before they came to the river where there is a speedboat parked by the dock. The mysterious figure got into the boat, placing Shiki down carefully in one of the seats near the middle, whilst the four Ragnarok members got in as well.

"Can you drive the boat?" The mysterious figure asked, directing this question to Neji who nodded. The keys were then tossed to the second-in-command of Ragnarok, who took the wheel. "Cut the engine once we're halfway to your destination. I need to pass you a message."

It took Neji about half-an-hour before he managed to find the route that will take them to the Forbidden Forest. There is quite a difference between steering a boat in the daytime and at night. Finally, Neji cut the engine of the boat, and turned around in his seat to face the mysterious figure.

"Right… Who are you?" Haku asked suspiciously.

The young man sighed. "I'm a friend of Shiki's," he explained. "For now, you can call me Ren. Of course, that isn't my real name. But it'll be safer for me and for Shiki if you do not know my real name."

"If you're a friend of Shiki's, then…" Yugito trailed off, and Ren nodded grimly.

"Yeah. I'm assisting her in the upcoming battle," he stated simply. "This battle will be the last. I believe in that."

"Where did you meet Shiki?" Gaara asked. "She's never mentioned you before, and I've never seen you before either."

Ren 'hmm'ed. "It's been about ten years since I've met her," he said. "I first met her at Hagako."

Haku's eyes widened, and the other three looked surprised. "Hagako?" All four echoed. Haku looked at Ren carefully. _'Hagako? That means…'_

As if reading Haku's mind, Ren nodded. "I'm…a former member of Blade," he stated. "Hagako is where I'd first met Shiki and the others." He smiled a small smile. "Are you guys afraid? Of the upcoming war? This battle will be the last. Whether for the better or for the worse, this world will change."

There was silence.

"Well, of course I don't want to die." Yugito broke the silence. "But what will come will come. Besides, Death is just the beginning of another greater adventure." She grinned a feral grin. "I am the one that controls Death. I think I know and understand this better than anyone else."

"I see. What about you others?" Ren glanced at the other three.

"I'll follow Shiki to Death if I have to." Gaara shrugged.

Neji said nothing. Haku was silent for several moments before she spoke up, looking at Ren. "What about you, Ren? Aren't you afraid? If you are assisting Shiki, that means you know what she's planning, and the dangers involved. The opponent is one of the gods of legend. Going into a fight that you won't know if you can come out alive or not… We're prepared for this right from the start, but you—"

"How much did Shiki or the others tell you about our time in Hagako?" Ren interrupted Haku. He received blank looks for his question. "I see. Nothing much, I see. Not that I'm surprised. The time in Hagako isn't something that I remember fondly as well." His face darkened. "But I can tell you this now: all those that survived the nightmarish era in Hagako during the time of the civil war do not fear Death. It's pointless to us." His azure eyes seemed to bore into the depths of their souls as he looked from one face to another. "We've seen battle many times, and each one could have meant our death. It has long numbed us to danger and death by now. Of course, it's the same for Shiki too. Yet do you see her running away?"

"No…" Haku shook her head.

"I'm sure that all of you respect and adore Shiki," said Ren. "It's the same for Blade. There's not a soul in Blade that doesn't revere her. I do not regret following her, or even getting to know her. If there's one thing that I've done right, it is to trust her. I'm sure that it's the same for the others as well. Dying, in and of itself, does not frighten me. What I fear is losing sight of what I believe in."

Neji was confused.

But he can feel that he can trust this Ren fellow. He doesn't know why either, since as a rule, Ragnarok don't trust people too easily. Something about this Ren reminds him of Shiki. Maybe it's because both of them have the same strong nature, the will to never give up, and maybe it's because they have the same strong charisma that drew people to them.

"What do you mean?" Neji asked.

Ren smiled sadly. "I'm…no nin-user," he said. "But I was born for battle."

He drew out a dagger from within the folds of his robes with a beautiful crafted handle and blade, gleaming in the moonlight. The blade looks thin as well, probably sharpened more times than one could count. Just how many battles had this blade seen? And how many blades did Ren go through by now?

"I killed someone for the first time when I was five. My life after that was battle after battle. I learned the hard way to not trust someone just because they got a kind face. I learned the hard way that the one sure way to survive is to trust yourself, and to fend for yourself. I learned the hard way that in order to survive, you have to be the strongest out there. I learned all that during the era when the nin-users of the land were both revered and hated. I met several of them. When you are a…warrior during that era, you tend to run into nin-users everywhere you go." Ren sighed. "Some of them are good people. Others not so. I've faced several of them in battle. And because I'm not a nin-user, they said that I'm not their match, and that I should just die there. And yet, no nin-user that had ever told me that had ever defeated me. What is the true meaning of true strength then? I asked myself that repeatedly back in those days."

All four Ragnarok members listened intently. He had the same 'voice' that Shiki had whenever she is talking about her past. Both Ren and Shiki have a way of making people _want_ to listen to them whenever they talk.

"Have you found your answer then?" Yugito asked carefully.

Ren was quiet. "Yeah, I did," he said. "It's easy. You fight in a battle to the death, and the one who wins is stronger. Simple. Easy." He spun the dagger in between the fingers of his hand. "I discovered quickly enough that I was alone in my opinions. In those days, one doesn't need a reason to kill someone." He received grim nods for that. "Thus, I could never find a place where I could truly belong. That is until I went to Hagako, and met Shiki and her friends. There, at last, I found a place where I could belong, and where others accepted me for who I am."

"Blade." Gaara stated, and Ren nodded.

"By now, they've established quite a reputation for themselves, despite being technically disbanded. Just the mere _mention_ of them is enough to scare anyone shitless." Ren smiled. "Shiki established Blade. She didn't have a choice in what she did in those days. What she did, she did it to protect her friends. The members of Blade were willing to kill those who go against them. Shiki isn't afraid of dirtying her hands. She is _willing_ to do anything necessary in order to protect her people, her friends." Cool eyes studied each face carefully. "In those days, I imagine that out of everyone in Blade, Shiki and myself are the ones who have the most blood on our hands. But no matter how many that we have killed, we see only fear and resentment on the faces of those we protected. Never once have we been shown gratitude."

Ren sounded sad as he said this. The four Ragnarok members couldn't help but hang onto his every word. The history of Blade is still quite a mystery, as Shiki, Sai and Sumaru never liked to talk about it. And even Iruka doesn't know much about the legendary street gang Blade.

"I imagine that that is part of the reason why Shiki had helped you guys out." Ren looked from face to face. "That's just the way she is. She just can't ignore someone in trouble. Even I can see that. This war will be the last. And it will be so bloody and so long that this country will quite possibly lose an entire generation of men and women. Yet, I imagine that this is something that all of you are prepared for."

He received silent nods for this. Ren said nothing for several moments, his cool azure eyes falling onto Shiki, and he ran his thin fingers through her hair. His skin seemed almost pale, translucent even, under the pale moonlight out in the middle of the sea.

"Shiki…has never talked much about her days with Blade, no matter how much we have asked. Sai and Sumaru never talked much about it as well." Haku murmured.

Ren glanced into Haku's direction. "They wouldn't," he stated. "Like I've said, our days with Blade aren't something that we remember fondly. Our days _together_ are full of joy, definitely. But what we have to do during that era… It isn't something that I want to remember." He muttered, his tone dark. "I still get nightmares sometimes, whenever I remember what I had to do back then." He glanced at Ragnarok. "Blade keeps the peace in Hagako. We kept all the gangs there in line. But in order to do that, Shiki has to do several things that she would rather not do." He sounded sad as he said this, glancing over at the unconscious form of his once leader. "In order to keep all those gangs in line, several of them much older than us, she has to use fear. Rule fear with fear. It is the only thing that they understood."

Ragnarok exchanged looks. That is rather similar to how Shiki had made Ragnarok's name rather fearsome among dubious organisations like Roots and Oto, and even the ANBU.

"It's been years since then." Ren sighed, curling his fingers together. "All of us have split and led our own lives. But I can say this, not one of us who have ever served in Blade will forget the lessons that we have learned in there. Life really doesn't hurt until you think about just how much things have changed, who you've lost along the way, and just how much of it was your fault." Ren's voice took on a dark tone. Haku shivered at that. The dark haired teen glanced at the Ragnarok members. "But it's also because human lives are so fragile and tiny and insignificant that we work so hard to live them to the fullest with the time that we've got."

"We see many deaths happen in Hagako." Ren murmured. "Some of them we could save. Others we couldn't. As such, can you blame Shiki for thinking that this world is better off dead? We see more evil than good in this world. So much so that even I'm starting to think that it's better if we just let the Demon God wipe them all out. Can you blame Shiki, or me even, for thinking that way?"

Gaara shook his head. "No. I sometimes think that too," he muttered. "As nin-users, we faced the short end of the stick, no matter where we are. I…can understand."

"Ren, do you fear Death?" Yugito asked quietly.

Ren shook his head. "No. When you have lived as we did, you will cease to fear it. We spend each day wondering if we will get to see the next day back in our days with Blade. We knew that there is a chance that we will get hacked to pieces by some punk. Yet, we have never feared for our lives. Not once."

The four Ragnarok members exchanged looks, not knowing just what to say. Just what did Blade go through back in those days?

"If you have a chance to turn back time…to go back to those days…will you still make the same decisions that you did back then?" Neji asked, finally speaking up for the first time.

"Yes," said Ren immediately. "I have always made the best choices that I could under the circumstances. And I believe that Shiki had done so as well." He glanced at Shiki, and a small gentle smile spread over his face. "I do not regret my actions. And if I know Shiki, I know that she doesn't as well. I have always made the choices that were right for me. And I believe that I will continue to do so."

There was silence for several moments.

"You're a lot like Shiki." Haku said at last. "We barely knew you for more than an hour. But speaking with you… It makes me think of the time when I have first met Shiki." She smiled a soft smile. "That girl doesn't need words to express what she feels. Just one look at her, and it will make you feel…safe, I guess. And during my time with her, I have never known Shiki to make a single bad decision before."

"She gives and gives, and yet, asked for nothing in return." Yugito sighed. "That's just the kind of person she is. Sometimes, I feel so bad, for forcing her to do this. And I fear that one day, it will be too much for her to handle. Shiki is still human after all. There is only so much that she can take."

"That's why, take on some of her burdens for her." Ren stated simply. "Just like how Blade did for her back then. In the underworld, you can never survive alone. This is the truth, no matter how much one can deny it. And in Blade, we always had a rule there about watching each other's asses in a fight. Have any of you ever seen Sai or Sumaru or even Shiki fighting alone before?" He received shakes of the head for this. Even during Shiki's two week disappearance, she had taken Arashi with her. "In Blade, the one absolute rule is to _never_ go up against someone one-on-one."

Ren eyed Shiki, and ran his fingers gently through her hair. "She will risk herself. But Shiki will never risk her friends or those that she cared for. That's just the kind of person she is." He turned his attention back towards Ragnarok. "That's why, even if she had never asked me, I would have willingly helped her with her plan. The same way that Sumaru and Sai did. I chased after a supposed myth for three years. I gained something out of it. But also lost something at the same time."

"Three…years…huh?" A croaked voice entered the conversation, and every single person turned towards Shiki who had her eyes cracked opened, looking barely conscious and just barely coherent of her surroundings. "You've…been doing this…for three years? Not even…knowing…if you can…make it back alive…"

Ren's lips twitched. "That's rich, coming from you. Especially from someone who has been playing around in some group for eight years," he said sarcastically.

Haku smiled. Even though their banter is sarcastic, she can tell that those two are close friends, maybe even more than that…

Shiki smiled. "Heh. I'll leave the rest to you." Her eyes slid shut once more.

Ren sighed. "We need to get her to a medic," he muttered.

Neji nodded. "I'm on it," he said, turning back to the wheel, and setting the boat into action once more.

"Ren…" Haku muttered at last, and the mentioned teen turned towards her. The ice maiden looked apprehensive and curious at the same time. "Do…you like Shiki?" She asked hesitantly.

Yugito turned sharply towards Ren, and Neji's foot almost slipped off the accelerator of the boat.

There was a long silence before Ren spoke again, looking straight into Haku's eyes. "Yeah, I do," he said. "I love her. I had for nearly eight years. Ever since the night when all of us have nearly died." He glanced at Shiki. "I'm no nin-user, but I'm more than enough of a match for her, or for any nin-user for that matter." His eyes flickered towards Shiki. "Like most of the others in Blade, I met her through a fight. In fact, I was the only one among all of Blade to actually draw in an actual fight with Shiki. And yet, despite the fact that Shiki was forced to call upon her powers, I was able to fight her on a standstill. For any normal nin-user, that is considered a disgrace. But Shiki doesn't feel that way. She found it interesting. Just one fight we had, and she grew a liking to me, and I to her." Ren shook his head in amusement. "Some irony."

The four Ragnarok members exchanged grins. They like this guy. He had Shiki's dry humour and wit, and her quick mind as well, it looks like. And despite the fact that he is no nin-user, he is actually good enough to fight her to a standstill. Silently, all of them decided then and there that they do not want to fight this guy.

"I don't know why, but I like you, even though we barely knew you." Gaara stated, trying to hide the twitch of his lips. The other three exchanged grins. Gaara rarely _likes _anyone, except for Shiki. Even the other members of Ragnarok, they only grew on him after spending _years_ with them. "And personally, I think that you are a much better choice for Shiki than that ANBU bastard that is currently chasing after her." He scowled at the mere thought of said ANBU. "I've never liked him, even after he has left the ANBU. That guy is just bad news." He received nods of agreement from his friends. "And I've already long lost count of the number of times when he had made her sad."

Haku sighed. "I don't think that they'll ever get back together anyway, Gaara," she said sensibly. "Too many things have happened. Shiki will never forgive him for his hand in Sasame and Kankuro's deaths. And then the incident at the TV station. I know her. She'll sooner chop off her own arm than forgive him. Shiki isn't the type of person who can just forget about something like this."

Ren smiled a small bittersweet smile. "I…want to make her happy," he murmured, looking at Shiki. "But even I know that this is something that she must choose on her own. Affairs of the heart can't be forced. And with the current war… As much as I wish that she did not have to interfere in it, I know that she won't ignore it. This is something that she must do. And I don't want to force her to pick between me…or him. But if she does picks me though, I'll make her happy." Ren smiled. "I'll make her the happiest person in the world. She has been through enough. There has been so much unhappiness and suffering. Enough is enough. She doesn't need to suffer anymore."

Ragnarok exchanged looks. "That's why we said that you're a better choice for her." Yugito said quietly. "That Uchiha never seem to care that he's making Shiki suffer. All he cares about is that he wants to be with her. He doesn't know what true love is. Even now, even I can see that Shiki is merely tolerating him and his presence. He's only making Shiki sad. And I hate it." She clenched her hands into fists.

Ren was silent for several moments. "Trust Shiki," he said. "She knows what she's doing. I will trust her to make the best decision for herself. She has never made a bad decision before. And I believe that she will not do so. It's Shiki. She probably knew that there is no future for them as well. They belong to two different worlds. Their manner of thinking is too different."

There was silence for several moments.

"Neji-kun, drop me off at the nearest town," said Ren, pointing towards the distance where there are lights. "It's best if your…ANBU 'friends' don't see me." He coughed. Neji nodded silently before steering the boat towards the nearest town, and letting Ren off at the dock. Before he left however, he pulled out a black ebony book from under his cloak, and handed it to a confused Haku.

"This is…" Haku murmured, staring at the strange book that seemed to have several…locks on it, with nine glowing gems embedded in it, each of a different colour. And she could sense great power emanating from this strange book.

"This is what Shiki has been searching for." Ren answered. "Give this to her. And never let this book out of your sight. This is one of the keys to defeating the Demon God for good. Tell Shiki that I'll find the other key. I only know that it's somewhere in Japan. Also…" He glanced at Shiki's unconscious form before turning back towards the other three. "Take care of her. She's more fragile than she seems. And once more, this world is in danger. You must help her."

"Wait!" Gaara called to Ren as he turned around to leave. "I know that you said you mustn't give your real name. But can you at least tell us? Your _real_ name."

Ren was silent for several moments before he turned on his foot. "I hadn't gone by that name for a long time now. I changed my name after I'd 'died' back then. My current name symbolises a new start for me. A new life." He smiled. "All right. I'll tell you my…old name." His eyes flashed something unrecognisable. "…it's Satochi Riku."

**XXXXXX**

_Forbidden Forest  
__Unknown Location_

"Just what happened on the mainland?" Hinata demanded, taking a cold and damp cloth from Haku, wiping off the sweat on Shiki's brow, with the Hyuuga trying to make the redhead as comfortable as possible, particularly with all her injuries.

Shiki had to have at least suffered from ten broken bones, coupled with multiple cracks in her bones, and possibly a head concussion. Any normal person would have died from injuries this serious. But as Shiki is a nin-user, she had a greater endurance and a greater healing rate than normal humans.

Haku and Gaara have rushed Shiki into the medic tent, with Gaara screaming for Hinata to come and help, as she is their main healer, even though Yugito and Haku are both pretty skilled medics in their own right. Neji and Gaara have both refused to allow anyone but Ragnarok and Sumaru and Sai to enter the tent, with the two boys standing at the entrance of the tent, looking so intimidating that not a single ANBU dared to venture near. Uchiha Itachi had tried entering, but Gaara had threatened to use his Desert Funeral attack on him, and the elder Uchiha had finally gotten the hint, and left.

"It's a long story, but we succeeded in our mission." Haku stated, passing another damp cloth to Hinata. "Will she be all right?"

"She's too stubborn to die even if someone killed her." Hinata remarked. "Don't worry, she'll be all right."

There was a loud rasping cough from Shiki just then, and both girls turned towards their leader. Shiki cracked her eyes opened, though they were half-glazed over with her fever because of her injuries.

"Shiki!"

"I'm fine," she rasped, coughing harshly. "Can you get the rest in here? And Sumaru and Sai too. I need to speak to them."

Haku nodded before heading out of the tent. Hinata sighed as she looked at her old friend. "Why are you pushing yourself like this?" she asked. "Haku said that you nearly died. Why are you always so reckless?"

"Because…I can be."

Hinata frowned. "What will the rest of us, even the underworld do without our leader?" she demanded, her voice louder than she had anticipated. "We can always try again even if we've failed, like what we've done so many times already. But if we lose our leader, it is all over! Please, Shiki… Take better care of yourself. You have so many people who care about you. We don't want a new world if it is one that you don't exist in."

Shiki smiled. "I'll…try to. But with this war…there is no guarantee that…I can come back alive…" she rasped.

The flap of the tent opened just then, and the rest of Ragnarok filed in, with Sumaru and Sai in their midst. Gaara stood nearest to the entrance of the tent to discourage any of the ANBUs from attempting to sneak in.

"Shouldn't you rest more first?" Tenten asked with concern. She had never seen their leader looking so…tired and beaten before.

Shiki coughed harshly. "I'll be fine," she rasped. "Besides, this can't wait." She breathed heavily, looking at her friends. "When I…disappeared for two weeks, I was investigating." That got her the attention of every single person present. All of them wanted to know just what the hell that she had been up to during those two weeks. "I first went to Mist. I found an old journal there, detailing back to several millennia ago. It was written in the Sacred Tongue."

Sai frowned. "The old language?" he enquired, and Shiki nodded.

"I found a way." Shiki managed to smile even with her weakened state. "A way to stop the Demon God for good." There was deadly silence, and Shiki took that as a sign to continue. "The Nine Keys." She rasped.

Temari frowned. "The Nine Keys?" she echoed.

Sumaru sighed and closed his eyes. "The old prophecy, huh?" he muttered. "So that's what you went looking for." Seeing several pairs of eyes on him, he sighed once more. "'Three blades for the Universe in the kingdoms of the sky. Seven shields for the Nomads that travels the world, forever alone. Nine keys for the immortal Gods on their ivory thrones. One book to rule the world, the one that can kill an immortal. The Book of the Dead.'"

"Ah." Realisation dawned on Sai. "Yamato-nii mentioned that to me once!" His face grew sad at the mention of his adoptive brother who is still missing. "The Nine Keys. The very symbols of the gods of creation."

"What do you mean?" Neji asked with a frown.

Shiki coughed harshly. "Exactly what they mean," she said. "The Nine Keys. Each key represents one of the Bijuu Nine. One for each of them. We need three things to stop the Demon God: the Nine Keys, the Book of the Dead, and the devil's fruit to stop his immortality, along with the Catalyst to read from the Book. All these must be done at the Shrine of Penitence where the Last Battle was fought."

"And as legend goes, this procedure can only be used if the world is on the brink of destruction." Sai stated. "When the Demon God is near full strength, and the balance of the world is in danger. The Catalyst is a nin-user – a direct descendant of the King of the Gods, one whose blood is left untainted. But with how long nin-users have been mingling with the humans, there are hardly any left whose blood hasn't been tainted. In fact, the only nin-user that we knew of whose blood _hasn't_ been tainted is…" He glanced at Shiki, and the others followed suit.

Shiki coughed to take the attention off her. "Ren…gave you the Nine Keys. I got him searching for it years ago when I first started the search," she stated, and Haku's eyes widened. So that's what the book is! "All that we're missing now is the devil's fruit which Ren is currently searching for, and the Book of the Dead." She looked at Yugito. "Yugito, the Book of the Dead can only be found by a direct descendant of the Goddess of the Underworld, the Nibi." Yugito's eyes widened. "You must find the Book. Head to the Nibi's shrine and seek her faith. You must find the Book, or this world will…perish."

Yugito nodded, determination in her eyes. "Orders received, captain. I'm on it."

"And I will go with you." Neji interrupted. His eyes were cool. "We never fight someone one-on-one."

Shiki smiled. "Right."

* * *

In the middle of the night, Uchiha Itachi could be found sneaking into the medic tent.

He had been waiting all day for a chance to see Shiki, but Ragnarok never gave him a chance to do that, as there is always someone with the redhead. Either Gaara or Shino who stood guard at the entrance, or Haku and Hinata who is watching over her. But now, there is no one with her, as they were all taking a break just for a few minutes.

But a few minutes is all the time that Itachi needs.

Shiki had her back facing him, but Itachi knew full well that she's awake, and aware of her surroundings. He sighed. The redhead had barely spoken a word to him ever since the two ANBU teams have been brought to the Forbidden Forest.

"Can't you talk to me, Shiki?" Itachi asked. "You haven't told me yet. Why did you do such a thing? Why the ANBU? Just what did they ever do to you? You said that they deserved it for what they did to you and your friends. But you never explained why. Tell me." He waited, but he received no answer. Itachi then sighed, and was about to say something else, when Shiki spoke.

"Like what I've said before, this world isn't worth saving. Not any longer."

Itachi was shocked. "How can you say that?" he asked. There was no answer. "Shiki?"

Shiki turned her head to face Itachi, and the Uchiha was taken aback by those strong eyes. Those are the eyes that he remembered when he had first faced Shiki on the battlefield as ANBU and Ragnarok – in a fight to the death. Is there really no form of salvation for their relationship now?

"To live is to die. There's no other way around it." Shiki stated.

Itachi was confused. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"That's just how life works," said Shiki mysteriously. "You still have a lot to learn, Itachi. After all, think about it. Who would want to live forever? I want to protect this world. I know what I'm doing. Even if what I'm doing might cause this world to burn, I do not regret it. I've always made the decisions that I believe were for the best, and I have no reason to doubt it. I'll accept the consequences after that." Her lips quirked. "I'm a Fool after all."

Shiki turned her back onto Itachi once more.

"And humans act so strange. Everything that we create is meant to destroy. I am human myself, yet sometimes, I almost feel ashamed to be one. Never have I seen a race so intent on their own destruction as us humans. This endless hatred… I want to stop that. I want to stop war. Even if I have to take on the hatred of the world in order to do that. I want this world to continue existing, but not like how it currently is. And at the same time, I feel that this world isn't worth saving. Not any longer."

"What do you mean?" Itachi was confused.

There was a sigh. "That's why I said that we aren't compatible," said Shiki. "Our manner of thinking is too different." There was silence. "You should leave. You don't want to be here once Haku and Gaara returns."

Itachi knew that she's right, but there is still one last question that he wanted the answer to.

"I still have to know one thing," he said. "Have you ever loved me, Shiki?"

But there was no answer.

Itachi sighed, turning to leave when he heard a soft voice in the darkness of the tent.

"…I wonder."

Itachi wonders if he had really heard that.


	40. Acts of Courage

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Forty: Acts of Courage**

The low chirpings of the crickets resounded in the silent night air, sounding louder than it actually is.

Namikaze Shiki sat on the tree bough within the woods that overlooked Leaf City, eyeing the small fires that could be seen in the once grand city. Ragnarok's predictions had come true as usual. Despite the fact that the ANBU has never been popular among the general populace, the moment that the ANBU collapsed, the people had started to panic.

Japan is now in chaos. It is only a matter of time before it will collapse completely.

They're running out of time.

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat just then, and Shiki looked downwards only to see Haku standing at the foot of the tree, frowning up at her. Shiki sighed before she placed both hands on the tree bough on either side of her, and leapt downwards. She landed lightly on her feet with a light thud.

"Just because your wounds have been _mostly healed,_ doesn't mean that you get to go gallivanting around Japan!" Haku stated, annoyed, hands planted on her hips.

"I left a note, didn't I?" Shiki retorted back. "And I'm not some fragile thing that's about to break, thank you very much." She sounded annoyed. "I am entirely capable of taking care of myself."

Haku sighed before she glanced back over her shoulder – towards the direction of Leaf City, and she then turned back towards Shiki. "I got Sumaru to give me a ride here when he has to head back to Baled's Shinjuku base." She sighed. "The riots are getting worse. If this keeps up, it will only be a matter of time before this country falls."

Shiki sighed. "Yeah. I know. We don't have much time as well. Once Yugito and Neji gets back from the Nibi's shrine, we can commence with our next part of the plan."

Haku frowned. "How long do you think it will take Yugito to get back?" she asked.

Shiki shrugged. "I have no idea," she said. "The Nibi is the Goddess of the Dead for a reason. Her role is to watch over the dead and the souls of the departed. Hence, unlike the other gods, she never interferes in the affairs of the living." She glanced at Haku who looked worried. "Whether Yugito can receive her faith or not, and convince her to relinquish her hold on the Book of the Dead to her will entirely be up to fate."

"It's Yugito," said Haku, sounding as if she is trying to convince herself. "I'm sure that she has a way." Shiki nodded silently. Both girls were silent for several moments before Haku glanced at Shiki out of the corner of her eyes. "Shiki, tell me the truth." Shiki raised an eyebrow. "What are our chances? What are our chances of winning?"

Shiki was silent for a very long time, closing her eyes briefly.

Haku wasn't the only one who was worried. All of Ragnarok were. Even the ANBU, and Baled were too, along with the entire underworld. Things are worse than they'd imagined, and with the ANBU and High Council down, they now got more to worry about.

Like another civil war in the country for instance.

Mei Terumi and Mist were currently trying to get the country back under control, and so far, they were able to control the riots. But even that won't stay that way for long. And if another civil war were to break out at this moment, coupled with the current situation with the Demon God, then Japan isn't going to remain standing for very long.

"Honestly? I'm not very sure." Shiki turned towards Haku. "Even if Yugito can get the Book, and we can somehow figure out just what this 'devil's fruit' is, the opponent is still one of the gods of legend that had helped create this world. We're up against a _god. _Let's face it; our chances of winning are not good. But all of us knew this right from the start."

Haku said nothing. She knew that Shiki is right. They knew this, and knew what they're getting themselves into right from the very beginning. But…

"Aren't you worried?" Haku wanted to know. "Aren't you scared?"

Shiki's lips twitched as she looked straight into Haku's eyes with her own dark blue ones. "I…do not fear Death," she said simply. "Dying, in and of itself, does not frighten me. What I fear is losing sight of what I believe in."

Haku's eyes widened. Those were the exact same words that Ren had said to them on that night over two weeks ago when they have first met him.

"_I'm sure that all of you respect and adore Shiki," said Ren. "It's the same for Blade. There's not a soul in Blade that doesn't revere her. I do not regret following her, or even getting to know her. If there's one thing that I've done right, it is to trust her. I'm sure that it's the same for the others as well. Dying, in and of itself, does not frighten me. What I fear is losing sight of what I believe in."_

"All of us knew this in our hearts." Shiki pointed at Haku's chest where her heart is. "We just never said anything about it, as admitting it out loud is no easy task. ANBU. Roots. Oto. The Rebellion Group. The High Council. We've faced lots of enemies. Each one more powerful than the last. And we knew that a war like this is bound to come sooner or later. We just never said anything about it. Nin-user haters. Non nin-user haters. Our supporters. Baled. Mist. The remnants of the ANBU. The High Council loyalists. They've all been planning this war for a long time. We are just people living in the same country that had been continuously ravaged by battles and more bloodshed. All of us just fighting to survive just to see another day. So why does it always comes down to war?"

"I've never regretted my decision." Haku said quietly. "No matter how this turns out, I will never regret my actions, and neither will I regret meeting you. And no matter how it turns out, you will always be one of my best friends." She looked at Shiki. "And what are you going to do? About that ANBU captain?"

Shiki's face was expressionless. "When one loves another…it will also give birth to hatred," she said at last. "And I've said this before, didn't I?" She looked at Haku. "One shouldn't be so trusting of others. People always had a tendency to betray others. It is a never ending cycle."

"Is that your answer?" Haku asked quietly.

"I wonder." Shiki mused. "I had never regretted my actions, and the choices that I'd made in the past. I made each one, believing that I've done the best that I could. But sometimes, I wonder if things would have been different if only I'd chosen differently."

"That's not true!" Haku protested. "If Ragnarok had never existed, and we have never met you, life for the nin-users would still have been just as unbearable as they had been in the past, and maybe even more. You did what you had to do. No one blames you."

Shiki was silent for several moments. "…Did Ren tell you something?" she asked at last.

"No." Haku shook her head. "But we can guess to a certain extent just what had happened in the past, especially with how tight lipped you, Sumaru, Sai and even Ren have been regarding your past in Blade. The legendary street gang that not a single person in the world hadn't heard about."

Shiki was silent for a long time. "We have our ideals back then," she said at last. "Our dreams. Our pride. Our honour. We wanted a better future for the nin-users. We wanted a better future for our country – one that doesn't involve fighting and killing. One where everyone is equal. We fought for that. But in the end, we realised that just having ideals, and dreams, and honour, isn't enough. That our dreams aren't enough to get us by. That reality isn't as kind as it seems to be. We realised that. And one by one, we woke up to reality and…gave up." She looked at Haku. "We did all that we could. But in the end, even that isn't enough. Talking about dreams, honour and pride seems wonderful. But in the end, we couldn't even protect the children in our territory."

"Shiki…" Haku muttered, not knowing just what to say.

"Power can't protect, Haku." Shiki murmured, glancing at her hand. "It can only destroy. We might call it protect, but the more it tries to protect, the more it hurts others. That's what a nin-user is. We're just nothing more than weapons for war. We exist only for battle. In a way, I guess what all those people have said are true. We shouldn't exist. We only invite more conflict and bloodshed."

"Shiki…"

Shiki sighed. "Sorry. But can you leave? I want to be alone."

**XXXXXX**

Uchiha Itachi was silent, staring at the cackling flames of the fire in front of him, wrapping his arms around his torso, his 'talk' with one Sabaku no Gaara not more than an hour ago still fresh in his mind.

"_Just how much longer are you going to torture her?" Gaara asked with plain disgust, glaring at Itachi._

"_I…"_

"_No one has told you this to your face yet. And I know for one that Shiki has been going out of her way to avoid you as well. I can tell you this now: you're not the only one who cares for Shiki in the romance department." Gaara smirked at the look of panic that flashed past Itachi's face. "Neji is one such person. And I know that there is at least another that you probably aren't aware of. But even as obstinate that Neji is, even he knew that Shiki doesn't like him that way. Thus, he can only let go of her. That's what Neji told me two months ago." Gaara's lip curled. "When you love someone, it doesn't mean that you have to possess them." Itachi's eyes widened. "You still don't understand this. You don't understand what true love is. Sasame loves Neji enough to give up her life for him. Neji loves Shiki enough to let her go away from him. And he…" _

_Gaara closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. "He loves Shiki enough to spend eight years of his life chasing after a mere rumour just to help her in any way that he could. Sasame. Shiki. Neji. And that person. All four of them know what love is. They knew what sacrifice is. And they knew what true love is. Now my question to you now is: do you truly know what true love is? Or are you just deceiving yourself? Shiki rarely changes her mind once she had it made up. You can wait until the end of your life if you wish to. Shiki will never accept you back into her life again. In life, lots of things, you only get one chance. Just that one chance. And if you blow that chance, you'll never get it back again."_

Itachi tightened his arms around his torso. _'What does he means by that?'_ he thought. _'Who is this person that Gaara speaks of? Shiki, why won't you forgive me?'_

**XXXXXX**

Shiki followed the movements of the few fireflies that are left with her eyes, murmuring the lines of a fairly well known song among the underworld under her breath.

"_Total Slaughter. Total Slaughter. I won't leave a single man alive. La de da de dai. Genocide. La de da de duh. An ocean of blood. Let's begin the killing time."_

A flock of birds took flight from the trees just as the song ended, and Shiki glanced up, only to see a very solemn Uchiha Sasuke approaching her from within the trees. She smiled a small thin smile at him.

"What an ironic song, isn't it?" she stated more than questioned. She then studied Sasuke silently before she sighed. "I seem to be quite popular tonight. What is it?"

Sasuke didn't say anything for several moments as he leaned with his back against the trunk of the tree opposite Shiki, following the movements of the few fireflies that are left with his eyes. Summer is nearly over, and Fall is nearly upon them. The Final Battle is nearly upon them. They only have time until before the first flakes of snow falls upon the earth.

"I…heard something." Sasuke admitted at last.

He met Shiki's eyes with some hesitation. Rarely is there anyone who has the courage to look straight into Shiki's eyes without fear. Her eyes have that strange power to make you feel like you're being X-rayed, and that she can see your every thought, every feeling. Sasuke only knew of a few members of Ragnarok who could do that.

Sasuke was silent again before he spoke. "They said that you're leaving my brother." Shiki said nothing. "It's not true, is it?" The Uchiha pressed Shiki for answers. "Tell me that it isn't!"

Shiki was silent for several moments before she covered her eyes with one hand. "Where did you hear that?" she questioned.

"I was taking a walk last night." Sasuke shrugged. "I couldn't sleep." He looked away. "Old dreams from the past." He admitted. "I came across my brother and Kisame-san talking in the Forbidden Forest near the base camp."

"_Itachi, wait!"_

_Sasuke was surprised when he saw an angry looking Kisame stomping after an equally angry looking Itachi who was taking particularly long strides in order to put as much distance between himself and his best friend. But as Kisame is at least two heads taller than Itachi, and thus, had longer legs, this doesn't really help much._

"_What do you mean by that? Explain yourself!" Kisame demanded, grabbing Itachi by the wrist._

"_Exactly what I mean, Kisame!" Itachi snapped, jerking Kisame's hold off._

"_And how can you know that for sure?" Kisame demanded._

"_Are you an idiot?" Itachi frowned. "She refuses to see me, talk to me, and even **look** at me!" His nostrils nearly flared, and Sasuke suddenly had a feeling that he knew who this 'she' that his brother and his best friend were both talking about. "Her friends can't even stand to be in the same vicinity as me, and more than one of them had threatened me on more than one occasion to kill me if I should so much as get within fifty meters of her! What part of 'she's breaking up with me' don't you understand?"_

Sasuke looked at Shiki. "When I heard that, I knew that I have to talk to you," he said hesitantly. "I had to know if it's true. Are you really leaving my brother?" He searched Shiki's face desperately, searching for answers.

Shiki didn't say anything for several moments. Finally, she looked at him, and spoke. "…Sasuke, you're the only one among the ANBUs that me and my friends are on even remotely friendly grounds with. And that is only because you hadn't given us a reason to hate you yet. But this—"

"Shiki! Please! I need to know." Sasuke cut in. "Is this true? Are you really leaving my brother?"

Shiki didn't say anything for several moments, looking skywards before turning back towards Sasuke. "…Yes. It is true."

"Why?"

Shiki was silent for several moments before she sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I don't know," she admitted. "I just…" She trailed off.

"Just what?"

"I'm tired." Shiki admitted at last, and Sasuke was surprised. "I knew your brother for years, even before he had joined the ANBU. At that time, we were just mere acquaintances then." Sasuke nodded slowly. "And then, by some strange twist of fate, we ended up running into each other more times than I could count, and we slowly became friends. But even I could see. Itachi… Your brother is getting shackled by the ideals of the ANBU, and is slowly losing his path, and losing sight of what he had believed in. And when he found out about me and Ragnarok, his composure became cracked, and slowly, he started to lose the light." She breathed out with a loud sigh. "Then… Kisame contacted me. He told me that Itachi attacked your commander because Black Ops nearly wiped out Baled's Lake Ogura base."

Sasuke's eyes widened. So _that's_ the reason behind his brother's defection back then.

"I got him out of the ANBU then. And then, from there, he started to regain his path, his light. And slowly, I realised something. Without even realising it, I'd become too dependent on him. He's…about the only thing that is keeping me sane. Maintaining and running a group like Ragnarok, especially with what we do, is no easy task. Killing someone isn't as easy as you think." Shiki looked at Sasuke. "Each time you kill someone, your soul pays the price. And then one day, when you had grown accustomed to the scent of blood, and when your hands were long covered with the blood of countless lives – your soul forever twisted by the deaths on your hands, when you can finally kill someone without showing or feeling any remorse… It is also the day when you lose every shred of your humanity and become a monster." She looked away. "That…is what I am." Sasuke tried to open his mouth to argue. "I'd long lost all feeling when it comes to taking a life. That's why I can kill your ANBU comrades so easily. How I can blow up the ANBU headquarters without any hesitation whatsoever. Why I can torture someone without even batting an eye. Itachi… Your brother helped keep me sane." Shiki admitted. "He helped me to feel human again. He helped me to keep my mind. And when I realised that I'd become too dependent on him, I then realised that he didn't need me anymore. He can now keep sight of his own path without my help."

"That's not true—" Sasuke tried to protest, but his protest sounded weak even to his ears.

"I looked at myself properly for the first time in eight years, and I realised…that I didn't like what I had become." Shiki admitted. Sasuke fell silent. This is actually the first time that he is actually hearing Shiki's real thoughts. From what he knew about this girl, he knew that she is a very private person. Not even Gaara and Haku knew much about her, and they're the closest to her. "I'm now no better than the evil that Blade and Ragnarok have hunted in the streets of Japan. It's probably true that I did what I had to do in order to keep my friends safe. At first, it is just to protect them, to keep them safe. Later, it is to protect the nin-users of the land. And who knows when it had even begun, but it soon became nothing more than a mere political battle with the ANBU, the High Council…and this country itself."

Shiki murmured, and Sasuke has no idea whether Shiki is still talking to him or just voicing her own thoughts out loud. "The ANBU and the High Council might be ruthless, it is true. But what I did… Is it seriously any better than what they'd done? I understood the human mind, and how psychology works. I am a master manipulator. I used that ability to my advantage. I manipulated their actions. I used my friends. Even Kankuro and Sasame… I could have saved them, but I didn't. Even my godfather… I might not have been the one to kill him, but his death is still on my hands. All these changes happened without me even realising it. And when I looked back, I then realised…that I'm no better than a monster. No better than the ANBU."

"That's not true—" Sasuke protested weakly.

"You know the truth." Shiki pointed at his heart. "Ask yourself. You do hate me for killing your teammate, don't you?" Sasuke looked ashamed. "I was angry at that time. You ANBU don't seem to care who you hurt as long as you can get us. You don't even seem to care that there are civilians in the TV station that you blew up back then."

"If you can feel angry at us for doing that, then you are not a monster." Sasuke chose his words carefully. "You're…the closest thing that I had to a best friend." Shiki looked surprised. "Shikamaru is a good friend, but our personalities just don't match. Even if things between you and my brother goes sour, and you would never get back together again, you'll always be one of my best friends, no matter what happens." Sasuke smirked.

Shiki was silent for a long time before she snickered. "Did anyone tell you that you're too trusting?" she enquired. She sighed. "You shouldn't get so close to a member of Ragnarok. We're poison." Sasuke smirked at her. Shiki sighed. "You remind me of Sara. A former Blade." She informed a surprised Sasuke. "She's a lot like you. Just as stubborn. Just as obstinate. And just as…optimistic." She struggled with her words. "She said something once to me, Riku and the others… 'Man was born free, and everywhere else, he is in chains. After all, living is not simply breathing, but actually doing. Man only believes what he wants to believe in the way he wants. Humans are selfish that way. Forgetting your own pain can only provide temporal relief, but it only leads to repetition. Because real life doesn't work this way. In real life, life is the law, death is to sleep. And to live…'"

"…_is to change." Sara smiled, amused at the surprised faces surrounding her. "To lose whatever that has not been chosen is to gain something by loss. It is to choose something new. And life…is precisely the finite. I believe that wishes can come true. And miracles do happen. But you have to make it come true by yourself. We humans live by depending on others. Our lives are memories. We might die someday. But as long as someone don't forget us, we are still alive in a sense."_

Shiki chuckled. "Something rather philosophical, coming from Sara," she said. "But what she's said is true in a way." She looked at Sasuke. "If you really treat me as a friend, then I'll just ask one thing, and one only." Sasuke nodded slowly. "After the battle, we might have to disappear. But I'll like to ask one request of you." Sasuke nodded. "No matter what, don't forget me."

* * *

Shiki waited as Sasuke's footsteps faded away before she turned around to face the darkness of the woods.

"Why don't you come out now? Slinking around isn't your style, Ren."

There was silence for several moments before Ren stepped out from the darkness, his beautiful azure blue eyes almost glowing in the night. "I hadn't heard you talk that much before," he commented. "In a chatty mood tonight?"

"I wonder." Shiki mused even as Ren leaned against the tree next to her. "It's either we ran out of words to say, or that the feeling has gone away." She murmured. "I don't want to leave behind any regrets. The Last Battle is coming up. It will come to an end in that battle."

"It is true; waiting is always the hardest time in one's life." Ren agreed. "But what hurts the most is when you yourself know that it'll never return. And sometimes, waiting can be a burden." He glanced at Shiki. "And if you're asking if this is really a burden to me, then I will honestly say yes." Shiki looked sad. "But…I wanted that burden, because the burden…" Shiki's eyes widened as Ren leaned over her, nearly barricading her in with his body. "…is a person whom I love…"

Shiki pushed against Ren's chest gently. "Stop this," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "I know that you've heard what I told Sasuke." She met his eyes, and Ren nodded silently. "I met Itachi almost immediately after…_that _happened. He…reminded me so much of you. So much so that it almost feels like you're back all over again. And before I knew it…" She paused, taking in deep breaths before turning to meet Ren's eyes again. "…I don't know if I did ever love him, and if I am even capable of loving someone. I've done many things over the years, Ren. It has long numbed me to emotion. It isn't fair to you."

"I do not care." Ren insisted, combing a lock of her hair behind her ears, leaning in closer to her. Shiki could almost smell his warm breath upon her face. "I'll wait for you." Shiki was taken aback as Ren's strong arm wrapped around her lower back, and his lips rested next to her left ear. "I will say this to you as many times as I have to." He whispered into her ear. _"I love you."_ Shiki's eyes widened. "I waited for you for eight years. I knew you for more than ten. Don't I know you well enough by now?" Ren released his hold on Shiki and stepped backwards. "I understand you even better than you know yourself. You don't like to kill. But you had to, because it is the only way to survive, and because it is a cruel world out there. You can be cruel. But you are also kind. Why else would you take in all the others back then when you could barely fend for yourself? And remember what you've said once, and what I've said?" Shiki's eyes widened. "I do not fear Death. What I fear is losing sight of what I believed in. I believe that your path is the right one, no matter what you have to do. True heroes don't exist. Not anymore. What does exist though…are people who take on the hatred of the world in order to make a difference." Ren's lips twitched. "And we call those people…_antiheroes."_

"Ren…"

Ren leaned in close to Shiki once more. "Even if everyone hates you, I won't," he whispered. "I will always believe in you. I believed that your decision to disband Blade was the right one eight years ago when Ne came. And I still believed that it is the right one. No matter what you will decide in the future, I will always stand by you. I believe in you. That's why… Don't degrade yourself like that. You are no monster. You are human." He touched the area where Shiki's heart would have been gently. "You are Namikaze Shiki. Former leader of Blade. Captain of Ragnarok. And…the person whom I love. That's who you are. You are human. Never think that you are not." He whispered. "Even if the whole world turns against you, I won't abandon you." He stated. "I…will never betray you."

* * *

_A/N: This is pretty much the calm before the storm, as things are about to get hectic for Shiki and her group soon enough. So things between her and Itachi are getting pretty rocky. What do you think will happen?_

_Anyway, regarding this blog of mine that I've mentioned awhile back where I had been hosting original stories, and even some fanfic stories for download, I'm shifting the blog to a domain site. I'll appreciate it if you can go and take a look and tell me what you think. The link is: _

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_


	41. To Be Free

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Forty One: To Be Free**

Hyuuga Neji tightened his coat around his body, trying very hard to ignore the cold winds whipping at his face and his body. He glanced up at the skies only to see that it had long gone dark by now.

It is finally nighttime.

And it is already the seventh night ever since Yugito had entered the Nibi's shrine, praying and seeking her faith. Before both Yugito and he had set off for the Nibi's shrine – one of the first shrines that had been discovered and sealed by Ragnarok during their first years, Haku had already packed some food for them (or more for Neji) in a basket.

Shiki had briefed them (or Yugito) on what they must and must not do once they've arrived.

Only Yugito can enter the shrine, as she is the direct descendant, and the only one that can reach to the goddess by faith alone. Neji has to wait outside the shrine for her, but he has to make sure that no one disturbs Yugito whilst she's in the shrine. Hence why he's the best option to go with Yugito, since with his ability over barriers, he can easily erect a barrier that hides them and the shrine from prying eyes.

It has already been a week, and Neji had already finished the last of the food that Haku had packed for him. He hoped that Yugito wouldn't take much longer, though Shiki had already hinted that it would not be easy to get the blessings of the Nibi. Unlike the other Gods of Creation, the Nibi never interferes in the affairs of the mortals, seeing it as no business of her own.

Neji frowned as he glanced over his shoulder. He is currently seated right outside the shrine; meaning that he is just seated on the steps that leads into the shrine of the Nibi. Currently though, the great brass doors of the shrine were shut.

He hoped that Yugito would be done soon. The task that Shiki had set them to do set aside, he is a little worried about her and their comrades in Ragnarok and Baled. He knew that the Final Battle is coming up. They probably have only about another week or so before they'll be off to battle.

And like what Shiki had said, this will be unlike any battle that they've ever been in before. This will be so bloody, so horrific, that people will be talking about this for generations to come. For better or for the worse, this world will change. Half of them will probably not live to see the end of the battle. Or maybe this battle might just claim the lives of all of them.

But whatever it is, Neji knew what that he had been getting himself into right from the very beginning. All of them do.

It's funny. Ten years ago, if someone had asked Hyuuga Neji if he would be willing to fight for someone even if it meant that he had to give up his life, he will say no. And if someone had told him at that time that someday, he will be willing to die for that one person, he will say that that someone is on crack.

But now…

Neji smiled a small smile.

Meeting Shiki had changed him. Had changed all of them. If she had never came by, if they had never met her, who knows, they might just end up dead, or even end up hating the world. Yet for Shiki, slowly, they have changed.

They will obey no one but her. To them, she is their true leader.

Neji glanced at his watch. It read _11:59pm. _And even as he watched, another minute ticked on it. Had he really been engrossed in his thoughts that long?

Neji frowned, looking back over his shoulder. _'Come on, Yugito. What's taking you so long?' _he wondered.

A dark aura of power then exploded.

* * *

Yugito has been praying to the Nibi for nearly seven days now.

By nature, Yugito is a rather patient person. But even someone like her will tend to get annoyed after praying non-stop for nearly seven days only to not get a response. But still, she did not relent, did not allow the passage of time to affect her. More than anyone else, she knew that the Nibi is rather picky and difficult to deal with, even for one of the Gods of Creation.

And all of a sudden, Yugito then heard a voice that seemed to sound from inside her head itself.

"_Child, why have you called me?"_

The voice was low and whispery, almost like the sound of the winds itself.

Yugito composed herself, remembering what Shiki had told her before she had set off with Neji to the Nibi's shrine. Out of all of them, Shiki is the only one who had experience in connecting with one of the gods. As the leader of the Gods of Creations' direct and _only _descendant, she is his chosen, and could hear his words. That's why she is often always in the Bijuu Shrine.

Yugito remembered what Shiki had said – that calling upon the Gods of Creation is a tricky business, even for their chosen ones. They are _gods _after all, beings of higher powers. If they're not careful, they could be driven insane.

"I've come for the Book of the Dead. _Per Vitam Mortem Et. _The Demon God once again threaten these lands. I ask only that you give me the means for his defeat, so that we may drive him back once more."

The Nibi was silent for a very long time. So long that Yugito feared for one moment that she had left. Finally, she spoke. _"So the seal on him has finally given way," _she murmured. _"Ten thousand years… It is only a matter of time." _Her voice then strengthened. _"Tell me, child. You are one of mine. And thus, have my powers. And yet, for the treatment that you've endured at the hands of your own kind, you don't wish them any resentment? Don't wish to just sit back and let Madara finish the job that we gods should have done long ago?"_

Yugito hesitated. A long time ago, before she had met Shiki, she might wish death on the world. But now…

"I…used to think that. But now, I have people that I care for. That I look upon as family. I have no wish to see them dead. I wish to protect them. No, I _want _to protect them. I…do not fear Death." Yugito said slowly, picking her words carefully.

The Nibi was silent. _"Times are changing. That is the truth for all things living. Perhaps, this war…this battle will be the last. The era of the gods, and the nin-users might just end like this. Even if I give the Book to you, it won't be an easy battle. The Demon Battle is evil itself. He is the Darkness. He represents the sins of Man, and the evil side of us gods. In a way, I guess that you battling him is also to clean up after the sins of the gods."_

"Sins…" Yugito muttered. "To live is to sin." She repeated the words that Shiki had said to all of them once upon a time.

"_To live is to sin," said Shiki with a small sad smile at Ragnarok – her family, her friends. They are all that she has left now, after her godfather had passed away. "Jiraiya told me something once a long time ago when I've just established Blade in Hagako. 'To err is to be human. To forgive, divine'. No one is perfect. Not even the gods. We all make mistakes. But to learn forgiveness – that is the greatest virtue of all."_

"But no matter how painful it is, I choose to live." Yugito said determinedly. "I…want to live. I want to live to see the end of this. Even if this is a mistake…" She trailed off.

The Nibi was silent for a long time.

"_When you choose to live, you also choose to die. So would you call what you're doing right now 'living'? The only way to be alive is to not be dead—or in other terms—to deny death. But that's impossible, isn't it? You have to one day accept the fact that you are but mortal, and that you will, someday in the future, die. That is the way of all things living. Therefore, **Per Vitam Mortem Et."**_

A glow emerged from the statue in front of Yugito, slowly floating down to her eye level. And Yugito then realised that within the glowing orb of light is a book. It looked like any other ordinary book, being pure black in colour, with a silver chain around it. But Yugito can sense the aura of power coming from it.

"_Ten thousand years… It's been more than long enough. This will be the last battle. Destroy the Demon God. He is our sin. Yet, that burden of destroying him had now fallen to your shoulders. You and the others. You must protect the Chosen. She is more fragile than she seems. Until she accepts her own feelings, and accepts the one that truly loved her, she will never be able to defeat the Demon God. The only thing that can defeat pure evil…is love. Now go, my descendant. We gods have already done all that we could. The rest is entirely up to you. It shall be as you will it."_

**XXXXXX**

"I see…" Shiki muttered as she took the book from Yugito. "Good work." She nodded to Yugito who looked exhausted. "Go and get some food in your system or something. Everything is going okay for us so far. Now if only we can just figure out what this 'devil's fruit' is…" She trailed off.

"I still think that it is a plant of some sort." Haku voiced out.

Yugito sighed. "Well, I'm pretty hungry, so maybe I will go and get some food. But before that, Shiki, do you think it's wise? Coming to Shiseikin at a time like this?"

She glanced around at the bustling little town so full of life. Light ornaments were hung everywhere, and there were stalls set up as well. It is almost like a festival of some kind. It is kind of Ragnarok's routine. As every single year on this day, they will come here. The former ANBUs had tagged along with them as well on that day.

"Well, I think that it's fine." Haku said with a smile. "The others need to relax as well. Things have been so tense lately. Besides…" She exchanged looks with Shiki and Gaara. "It might just be the last one that they'll get to enjoy."

The atmosphere grew serious. Everyone knew what they are getting themselves into when they've decided to fight against the Demon God. It's just that no one actually said their fates if they might lose out loud.

Yugito smiled grimly. "Right."

**XXXXXX**

Along the flowing waters of the river in Shiseikin, the ANBU members, along with Temari, Tenten and Sumaru were all standing by the riverbank, watching the townspeople releasing lit paper lanterns onto little wooden platforms, watching the river carry it downstream.

"The Six Scripted Lanterns, huh?" Nagato mused. "I've heard about it, but…" He trailed off.

"It's a pretty old tradition." Sasori added. "I didn't think that there are still any villages around that actually still practiced it."

"But what is the festival about?" Lee asked with curiosity.

The Ragnarok members present, along with one Baled, exchanged looks.

Sumaru sighed, turning towards the ANBUs. "During the first days of the nin-users, many feared them and their powers. And in the end, many were executed as criminals. For no reason apart from being a nin-user. Knowing the feelings of these nin-users, a girl who was the wife of one of those nin-users back then wrote down their wishes on lanterns, put their hair on them as a replacement, and ferried them down the river with a six-scripted tag. That was the start of the Six Scripted Lanterns."

"Well, pretty soon, this soon became a way for the loved ones of nin-users to connect with them." Tenten said with a sigh. "It's a festival specially for the nin-users. Shiseikin is the one village in Japan that actually welcomes nin-users. Probably the only one." She sighed, and the ANBUs exchanged guilty looks. "Many nin-users who ran away repeatedly and didn't end up joining the underworld during the war actually came here. Every year, nin-users from all over will gather in this village." Tenten exchanged looks with Temari and Sumaru. "It's the one place where we don't have to hide." She added.

"By the way, I hadn't seen Shino and Hinata around for some time now." Temari added with a frown, glancing around. "Where are they?"

**XXXXXX**

Sitting in a corner of the riverbank where few people walks by, Namikaze Shiki laid on her back on the grass, holding her choker with her finger and thumb, allowing it to dangle just above her face. The pendant of the choker is a little unique – with a silver ring hanging from the choker, with a much smaller ring within it.

"_We will take care of him." Mei Terumi assured a blood-covered Namikaze Shiki, even as Ao and some unknown person loaded a severely injured boy into the van that they've used. Despite being as gentle as they could, the boy still gave out light groans every now and then at every jostle that they made. "We will make sure that he lives through this."_

"_I wouldn't ask this of you if there isn't any other choice." Shiki said despondently, glancing over at her friend. "Hide him for me. Make sure he lives through this. The world must never know that there are other survivors of Blade apart from myself."_

"_S-Shiki…"_

_Both females glanced over at the injured boy before Shiki ran over to the van, her sneakers squeaking with the rainwater on the ground. The redhead immediately took his hand._

"_You're going to be all right," she told him, her breaths coming in pants. "I won't let you die."_

"_He's going to be all right." Ao told her gruffly from where he stood, even as the other guy went back around to get into the driver seat. "We have some good medics in Mist. Besides, from what I know of you and your friends, all of you are too tough to die easily."_

_Shiki nodded to him before turning her attention back to the dark blue haired boy lying on the stretcher, with blood slowly pooling around him. "You're going to be all right," she repeated, not knowing if she is saying that to convince herself or him. "You're…going to be all right…"_

_The boy coughed. "My…pocket…" he rasped._

"_Pocket?" Shiki wondered as she reached into the pocket on the front of his jacket, touching steel. She drew it out, only to see that it's a choker, with a unique ring pendant hanging from it. _

_The boy smiled. "Happy…Birthday…" he rasped._

Shiki stayed silent, watching the pendant dangle to and fro.

"'Man was born free, and everywhere else, he is in chains'," she muttered. She closed her eyes briefly. "Living is not breathing, but doing…"

_I want to live… I want to live…! I…don't want to die…!_

Shiki closed her hand around the ring pendant. "How much longer?" she whispered. "Just how much longer? Just how much longer do we have?"

"I wonder that myself."

Shiki sat up and turned around.

"It's you." She raised an eyebrow.

* * *

"'Man was born free, and everywhere else, he is in chains'." Hinata recited.

Shino glanced at her, one eyebrow raised. "What's that?"

Hinata smiled weakly. "Nothing. It's just something that I'd heard Shiki said once. She's worried."

"I'm not surprised." Shino commented. "We don't have much time left. Maybe about another week or so before we have to go to battle." He was silent for several moments. "In the end, it doesn't matter. Nin-users. Humans. ANBU… We are all only pebbles in the avalanche." He murmured.

Hinata was silent. "Do you think we can win?" she asked hesitantly. "Against the Demon God."

"Getting cold feet? It isn't like you, Hinata," said Shino jokingly, and Hinata smiled. She hasn't seen Shino joke around with anyone apart from Shiki. And even then, it is a rare occurrence. "Against an enemy that is one of the Gods of Creation, all of us will get cold feet naturally. I know that Shiki's worried too." He stayed silent for several moments. Finally, he reached towards the shades on his face, and removed them.

Hinata gasped. "Shino, you…"

It is common knowledge among Ragnarok that Shino only ever took off his shades around Ragnarok themselves. Thus, ever since the ANBU came, Shino never took his shades off. It is his self defense mechanism, as what Shiki had once explained a long time ago, when she was the only one whom Shino trusted enough to let see his eyes.

"Do you remember how I'd joined Ragnarok?" Shino asked, looking at Hinata.

Hinata smiled and nodded. "Of course," she said. "Haku was so angry with Shiki at that time, especially since you were out to kill her back then." She sighed. "How time flies. It still feels like yesterday when we've just met Shiki, and had just established Ragnarok. Life is so simple back then."

"My powers…are different from you, and all the others." Shino said, and Hinata raised a brow. "I've always hated my powers, you know? That's why Shiki allow me to stay out of the jobs that we usually do. I don't mind my 'mind extracting' powers, or my ability to command the wildlife. I kind of like them, in fact. It's my other power that I hate." He glanced at his clenched fist.

"What power is that?" Hinata asked with a quizzed brow.

Shino was silent. "There was a time when I just wanted to die," he said at last, not really answering the question. "I don't want to live…if I have to take people's lives in order to do so." He said mysteriously, suddenly finding the treetops around them very interesting. Hinata was beyond confused. What has that got to do with his powers? "But then Shiki came along. She gave me purpose. A new life. And if she wanted to bring down the Demon God, and bring a new era to this rotten world, I'll help her. No matter what she wants to do, I'll help her. I'll be her support. I'll be her shadow. That's what I swore on the day when she had saved me." Shino added mysteriously.

"_It doesn't matter to me," muttered Shino. "Life has no meaning for me now. I should have died back then instead of my brother."_

"_Stop that," said Shiki sharply, and Shino turned towards her with surprised eyes. She sighed. "No one can die in the place of another. Shiri didn't give his life so that you can talk like that! He will be disappointed if he saw you now." She sighed. "Your powers are there for a reason. The same reason why nin-users even existed in the first place."_

"_Huh?"_

"_I know what it's like," said Shiki. "All of us – my friends and myself – we went through the same thing that you probably did. Some are even worse off. That's the price to pay for being a nin-user. We know nothing but loneliness and suffering before we find kinship and family in the form of other nin-users." She then sighed. "What are you going to do now?"_

"_I…don't know."_

_Shiki stared at Shino for a moment before sighing. "I made a promise to Shiri," she said. "I said that I'd watch over you. If you don't mind, you can come along with us. One more doesn't make a difference."_

"She's the one who had saved me, and had given me a new purpose in life." Shino murmured. Hinata stayed silent, listening to Shino talk. For as long as she had known the silent boy, he doesn't talk much. And even then, the only one whom he would talk to without answering a question is Shiki. "I would do anything for her. ANBU. Ne. Oto. Or the Demon God. I don't care who. I don't go easy on anyone who hurts my comrades. All I need…is the power to be able to protect my friends."

* * *

"Sasuke." Shiki sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" She added sarcastically even as the younger Uchiha approached her. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Itachi _better _not be hiding somewhere." She warned him.

Sasuke raised his hands. "Hey, I'm not suicidal," he grumbled. "He doesn't know that I came to find you."

"How _did _you find me anyway?" Shiki asked with a quizzed brow. Hardly anyone can find her once she decides to 'disappear'. The only ones who could are Ren, Sumaru and Sai – her old comrades during her Blade days. And that's only because they're accustomed to her disappearing acts by then.

Sasuke smirked. "Shikamaru does the same thing that you do from time to time," he explained, and Shiki 'ohhed'. "All that I have to do is to find the quietest place where rarely anyone goes to, and I'll find him. I'm kind of like the ANBU's tracker when I was with them." He said quietly. "I can literally find anyone whom they wishes to find. Well…except for your group of course." He added, and Shiki chuckled.

"So what brings you here? I thought that you would be with your friends," said Shiki, turning her attention back to the river, and Sasuke flopped down beside her. "It's a festival today after all. Let loose for a while. After all, who knows when will be the next time when we'll get to have one? If at all?" She added.

Sasuke was silent for a long time. "You've changed," he said at last. "I know that I probably don't know you as well as my brother did, but we did have encounters before. You weren't as serious and uptight before."

"Time does that to people. You and your friends too," said Shiki. "You've changed."

Sasuke fell silent. "You know, a long time ago, when I'd first met you, I thought you the same as me, even though we're technically enemies," he said at last. "We both have the same aspirations and dreams – we longed for a better world. It's just that…" He trailed off. "We…went about trying to achieve that dream in different ways. Vastly different ways. But now… Now I see why the ANBU had never been able to get one up on you before. We're not as ruthless as you." Sasuke said nonchalantly.

Shiki glanced at him.

He didn't have disgust or scorn in his tone. Even Itachi did when he'd first found out about her being affiliated with Ragnarok. The two brothers are as different as night and day. Again, she was reminded just why she preferred Sasuke's company, as compared to Itachi's. Sasuke is more open-minded – willing to accept things as they are, and looking at the bigger picture.

Most of the others in ANBU always think of Ragnarok as nothing more than bloodthirsty killers, only thirsting for more violence and deaths, seeking their own 'twisted sense of justice'. But the truth is that they're just trying to minimise the number of victims to nin-user abuse, and some they killed because they're trying to bring some justice to the victims themselves.

Even Itachi had that opinion of them long before he knew about Shiki's true identity, without even trying to look at the bigger picture. But Sasuke is different. He looks at both sides of the story, rather like how Shikamaru did.

"You aren't afraid to get your hands dirty. You don't pin the blame of your crimes onto another person." Sasuke stated bluntly. "I've been an ANBU for many years. And I've chased down all kinds of criminals. Some are some of the vilest men that I've ever seen. And some, even though I _knew _that they're guilty, I couldn't charge them, as they've gotten another person as their scapegoat." He looked at Shiki. "But you… You guys are different. You aren't afraid to show yourselves. You aren't afraid to get your hands dirty. And you stuck to your way, to your own sense of justice, no matter what happens. That's why when Ragnarok first appeared, there is one part of me that is happy. I thought at that time that Ragnarok might just be what this country actually needs. A system that doesn't follow the law. As everyone knows, even the law isn't omnipotent. You're different from the ANBU. You're willing to do _anything _to achieve your goals. You're a puzzle, definitely. Maybe that's why Shikamaru finds you so interesting." Sasuke chuckled. "In the eyes of the law, you guys are criminals. Yet at the same time, you're not. The people of the country see you as heroes. You control the underworld, never truly allowing them to go berserk."

Shiki was silent. "…I used to have morals too. And even now, there are lines that I do not cross," she said at last. "But other 'lines'…" She made quotes in the air as she turned to face Sasuke who stayed silent. "When you had lived in the underworld for as long as I did, have to do what I did, you learn to let go of some of your morals. Especially those that can get you killed." She said bluntly. "It is a life when Evil truly begins to win, and Good begins to lose. All of us will tell you the same thing. And yes, once upon a time, I thought that there are certain lines that I wouldn't cross either. But now, I'm not so sure. I…don't even know who I am anymore." Shiki admitted.

"You just wanted to bring peace." Sasuke insisted. "You want a better life for the nin-users. Most of us who joined the ANBU wished for the same thing. But as time went by, we…kind of forgot about our goals. You just want to protect your friends. There's nothing wrong with it."

Shiki smiled. "Well, you know what they say," she said, "the road to hell is often paved with good intentions." She fell back onto her back, staring at the night skies with one arm below her head. Sasuke watched her without saying anything for several moments. Shiki raised her left hand up so that she is partially shielding her view of the night sky. "I wonder why, if you keep fighting that person, you'll realise that relying on others is not a sign of weakness, but something you cannot do without strength," she murmured mysteriously.

Sasuke was silent for a long time. "Do you…really don't love my brother anymore?" he asked sadly.

"I know my own feelings, Sasuke," said Shiki bluntly. "And I'm sorry to say this, but they're not with Itachi anymore. And you know why." She glanced at Sasuke. "Too many things have happened. Too many of my friends have died. And all at his hands. Or at least, attributed to him. Kankuro. Sasame. The members of Baled when their base at Lake Ogura went up in flames… Too many of them. I…can't forgive him for this. Besides, I think it's better for him if he looks for someone else. Our personalities are too different. He won't be happy with me. Isn't it better if he finds someone who _can _make him happy, rather than stay with me and be unhappy?" She asked Sasuke.

Sasuke was silent for a long time. "…Shikamaru said that it's a long time coming," he said at last. "And that you will blow sooner or later. I guess he's right." He managed a weak smile. "My brother is towards the pier. Why don't you make things clear to him?"

Shiki sighed as she sat up. "Just how many times must I repeat this to him?" she muttered sarcastically, but she got up anyway, and left towards the direction of the pier.

**XXXXXX**

"You really _do_ appear wherever Shiki is." Haku stated bluntly to Ren who is currently sitting on his motorbike, munching on a cheese sandwich that he had bought. His hair looked slightly windswept, but there is a hint of excitement to his eyes.

Ren grinned at Haku. "Sorry," he said, not really sounding sorry at all. "Anyway, my job's nearly done. I found out something that Shiki wanted to know for some time now." He smiled.

Haku smiled softly at this. "You really do like Shiki, don't you?" she stated more than questioned.

Ren nodded, looking into the distance, suddenly finding the treetops of the trees near them extremely fascinating.

"For her aloof nature, everyone likes her," he said. "Even if they start off on the wrong foot with her, slowly but gradually, they'll start to warm up to her. She just has that charisma to charm people. Unlike the others at Blade, I got to know her through a fight." He smiled in amusement. "And slowly, I grew to like her. And who knows when it had even begun, but without even realising it, I then fell for her. I waited for her for eight years. I did everything I could to help her, as I know that it's the only way to protect her." Ren glanced at Haku's knowing look. "She isn't some wallflower, or some fragile thing that's about to break." He said bluntly, causing Haku to giggle in amusement. "Like me and so many of her friends, Shiki has spent a long time with the underworld. They're her family. The only thing that I could do to keep her safe is to make sure that she has the information that she needs." He smiled. "Knowledge is power after all."

Haku smiled. "You're definitely different from that other bastard," she said bluntly. "We've never liked him, even though we tried to, because of Shiki." She scowled. "And then again, it is _because _of Shiki that we disliked him. Or hate, in the case of Gaara and Neji." She added. Haku then turned serious. "Once this is over, what are you going to do? What do you _want _to do?"

Ren was silent for a long time, munching onto the last of his sandwich before throwing the wrapper into the nearby bin and turning back to Haku. "I want to spend the rest of my life with Shiki, if she will have me," he said simply. "I don't want anything too glamorous and complicated. I just want a simple life: to be with the woman I love, and friends that I trust above anything else. A nice house, maybe in the country, or by the sea. Shiki loves the sea." He added absently as an afterthought. "I don't care much about money. Just as long as I can earn enough so that we don't live in poverty, I'm happy. Just a life without any fighting at all. I know that Shiki is tired of it by now. Just a peaceful and happy life. That's all that I ask for."

Haku stared at him in amusement. "That's…a pretty normal dream," she said, her lips twitching. "I thought for sure that you would want something more."

Ren shrugged. "When you've lived a life like ours – having been in battle after battle, a peaceful and simple life starts to look rather nice," he said wistfully. "And I stick to what I said before: no matter what, I won't give up. No matter what she will choose, I will respect that decision. If I lose, then that's not going to be very long, so I can't lose." He stared at his clenched fist. "There's all there is to it."

**XXXXXX**

"Don't you know when to give up?" Shiki huffed in annoyance, glaring at Itachi. "I _know _that I've already made myself clear to you! _Gaara _definitely did! And I'm pretty sure that Haku or Neji have added their own input as well!"

Itachi bit on his lip. "Is there really no way?"

Shiki stared coldly at Itachi. The raven haired Uchiha felt his heart clench painfully at this. He had never recalled Shiki looking at him this way before. "If you want the truth, it is true that I probably did love you at one point. I don't know anymore," she said bluntly. "I…can't feel anymore. That's all there is to it." She turned on her heel to leave the pier.

"Give me a chance, Shiki!" Itachi pleaded, following the redhead, much to her annoyance. "I know that I can make things right! It'll be just like before."

"It won't be the same!" Shiki finally blew, turning to glare at Itachi with hatred in her eyes. So much so that Itachi was taken aback. "Just how many of my friends have died at your hands?" She asked bluntly, and Itachi flinched. "I know that I am just as much responsible for several of your comrades' deaths. But at the very least, I don't shrink my responsibility." Itachi flinched. "I can't forgive you for this. And it hurts. But I think that a love that can be noticed easily, that isn't real love." She said bluntly. "I can't smile at you anymore. Every time I see you, I see how they died. Now, it is a necessity for you guys to be with us. After the battle… After the war… Don't be where I can see you." Shiki took one step backwards. "We Ragnarok…will disappear."

Itachi's eyes widened at this. There is a note of finality in her voice. "W-What do you mean?"

"Like what I meant. We will disappear after the battle," said Shiki. "We are wanderers. Our life is on the road, on the sea. We don't stay in one place for long. We go where the people need us. We go where the wind takes us. And I'll say what I'd said before: forget about me. Find someone that deserves you more than I do. Find someone that appreciates you more. We aren't compatible, Itachi. Our manner of thinking of what is good and what is evil are too different. We won't be happy together. I've done too much over the years. I have too much blood on my hands. It isn't something that you can just 'handle'." She made quotes in the air.

Itachi bit on his lip, still not willing to let her go. "Is…there really no way, Shiki?" he asked, his voice trembling. Shiki just looked at him coolly. He searched her eyes and face desperately, hoping for some sign, _anything, _to tell him that she still loves him deep down there. But he found nothing at all. "Is it a sin? Is love really so wrong?" He asked, but Shiki said nothing. "Shiki!"

Itachi took one step forwards, but before he could do or say anything, there was a roar of a motorcycle's motor, and a bike skid to a halt just behind Shiki, with the rider having a black helmet on his head, along with a dark jacket. Shiki said nothing as she glanced over her shoulder, and smiled softly at the rider. Without a word, she then got onto the bike behind the rider, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"W-Wait! Who are you?" Itachi demanded.

The rider of the bike said nothing, but he lifted the visor of his helmet, enabling Itachi to at least see his eyes. His beautiful azure blue eyes that practically gleamed in the night.

Itachi's eyes widened. "You're…"

Shiki turned her face away from him, burying her face into the back of the rider. "Let's go, Ren," she said, her voice sounding muffled.

Ren nodded, before he kicked his bike into gear again, and sped off.

Itachi was left staring at their departing backs, his hands clenching into fists by his sides, his heart clenching painfully. He then realised something that he hadn't realised earlier because of the mysterious rider's sudden appearance.

Shiki had never smiled that way at him before.

* * *

_A/N: So the recent chapters had been a lot about emotions, good versus evil, their pasts, etc. Next chapter will be the start of the battle! Though the Demon God won't appear that soon. Shiki and co. will just be fighting against his minions. And with this super important battle with the fate of the world resting on it, just how well can Shiki and Itachi fight together with their current situation?_

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter and please read and review! Also, I hope that you will take a look at my story site. The link is on my profile._


	42. The Devil's Fruit

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Forty Two: The Devil's Fruit**

Hoshigaki Kisame stared at his partner as he watched the younger male downed beer after beer at the bar that he'd found his partner in after receiving a message from said partner's younger brother, asking him to check on his brother.

Kisame sighed. He doesn't need any mind reading abilities to know what had driven the normally composed Uchiha Itachi to start drinking like no tomorrow. There is only one reason why he would get depressed like this – Ragnarok's captain, Namikaze Shiki.

Seriously, Kisame just doesn't understand why Itachi just can't get over it and understand her. She had already stated very clearly to him, and _several times _in fact, ever since ANBU had defected to their side, that whatever that they once had between them is now _over. _And Kisame doesn't blame the redhead for ending it. After everything that had happened, Kisame is actually surprised that Shiki doesn't want to kill Itachi. If he had been in her shoes, he would have already done so. The fact that Itachi is still alive is already a miracle in itself.

"Have you had enough already?" Kisame asked tiredly, watching Itachi trying to get himself hammered, but to no avail. ANBUs as a rule tend to have very high alcohol tolerance. It is part of their training after all.

Itachi slammed the glass in his hand onto the countertop, spilling some of the contents of his drink. He chuckled bitterly, tightening his grip on the glass. "To think that I will get this fucked up over a woman. Am I pathetic?"

Kisame sighed. "I don't have a girlfriend, so I can't say that I understand what you are going through. But she's already made it clear to you. Several times in fact. Why don't you just accept it, and let yourself and her go? It'll be less painful, and easier for both of you."

"I…can't…" Itachi choked. "I…don't want to lose her! I…"

Kisame sighed. Now he understood why Sasuke had asked him to check on Itachi. The younger Uchiha brother is perceptive and intuitive in a way that Itachi isn't, and much more sensitive to people's moods and feelings. "And what do you want?" he asked tiredly. "She's already moved on. Her friends don't even accept you. They only left you and us alive until now as a favour to Shiki. You make one wrong step and hurt her _again, _not even the Bijuu Nine can keep them from killing us." Kisame looked at Itachi. "She's already moved on, Itachi. Why don't you do the same?" He asked tiredly.

"What about you? What about your sister?" Itachi slurred.

Kisame closed his eyes briefly. "Haku… She…understands," he said hesitantly. "But…"

He recalled the last real talk that he had with his younger sister just a few hours ago.

"_You should have realised this by now, even if none of us had ever said anything," said Haku, staring straight into Kisame's eyes. "After this battle, we Ragnarok…will disappear." She stated. "This battle of ours will change the world. But unfortunately, this world doesn't accept change easily." She looked sad, staring at her clenched fist. "You should know, nii-sama. We nin-users are either considered as dispensable tools to them, or we are…to be eliminated." She looked at her brother. "That's why Ragnarok was even formed in the first place. All of us… Shiki saved all of us from certain death. Even herself… She almost died just because of her status as a nin-user. All of us would have started hating the world and wish for its destruction if not for her. So don't you **dare **insult her!" Haku snarled, glaring at her brother._

_Kisame raised his hands in surrender. "I wasn't going to do that," he protested. "There are only a very small number among the ANBUs who even supported some of Ragnarok's ideals. Sasuke is one of them. I'm another. And maybe only Shikamaru."_

"_You're not going to stop us." Haku said, looking suspiciously at her brother._

_Kisame shrugged. "I know enough by now after all these years chasing after Ragnarok that you people can take care of yourselves," he said. "If you're with them, I'm not so worried. They're your family. I'm your brother. But only in blood. I…never did my duty as your brother after all." He admitted, shame faced. "I left to fight in some stupid war. And when I'd returned, I realised that kaa-san and Uncle have died. And you went missing. I joined the ANBU to find you. But when I did…" He trailed off. "You were right. When I knew where you were, what is keeping me from leaving the ANBU? I guess… I was just afraid." Kisame admitted. "The ANBU is all that I have now. And if I leave them, I would be hunted down as a criminal. They put this law in place after the end of the war to discourage deserters."_

_Haku was silent for a long time, staring at the dark waters of the lake, her arms crossed. The wind blew through her hair. "The war changed many things in this country," she said at last. "Especially the very soul of it. People turned corrupted. Fear breeds hatred. And that hatred turns people into monsters. We've seen that happen many times. I admit that some of the fault lies with the nin-users. But not all of us are bad. So why couldn't they understand this?" Haku asked, her voice cracking, and she sounds as if she is almost on the verge of tears. "There are both good and bad eggs. But it's like they're judging all of us just because of the actions of a few. Even the ANBU… They spent all these years hunting us down, and jumped to the conclusion that we're evil. But what gives them the right to say that? The ANBU had as good as killed many of our friends. But we never said or do anything, right?"_

_Kisame flinched, feeling guilty. "I can't apologise for them, but I'll just tell you to follow what your heart tells you to do," he told his sister who looked surprised. "As long as you follow a path that you believe in, you can do no wrong. Don't make the same mistake I did." He looked sad. "Itachi…needs someone to help him and support him now, and even later on. I might as well be that person. After all, I had been his partner and vice-captain for several years."_

_Haku was silent for a long time. "A long time ago, Shiki once told me something," she said. "'To be Shadowless is to be without a Shadow; to be without anything to bind you to the earth, to the world. To have no absolute ties to anything or anyone'." She recited. "I think in her case, she just wants to find some bonds. She might say otherwise; that she has no problem being alone, but even I can see that it is all a farce." Haku smiled sadly. "She is lonely. She has a brilliant tactical mind and a sharp wit that no one could match. That's how she had protected us until now. And even now, there is no one who truly understands her. Not even Itachi. Not even Gaara. Not even Neji. Not even Hinata. Not even me. No one. Probably, the only one who truly understands her…is probably Ren." Haku looked distracted for a moment. "But she's faced too much betrayal, that even Shiki will find it difficult to trust. That's why, if it can make her happy, I want her to accept Ren. Unlike Itachi, Ren will accept everything of her. Both the bad and the good. Unlike him, Ren doesn't look at the world in black and white." Haku smiled sadly. _"Fiat justica, pereat mundus." _She muttered._

"_What is that?" Kisame asked, blinking at the strange language. Was that Latin?_

"_Something that Jiraiya-sama had said to us when we'd first met him." Haku explained, much to Kisame's shock. He wasn't even aware that they knew the famous spymaster. "'Let the world perish, but let justice be done'." Haku looked at her brother. "You ANBU and the world has done enough to Shiki and us…and the nin-users. After the battle…after the war…leave us be!"_

Kisame sighed. "Itachi, I'm just going to say this for the last time. Leave them be. Let her go," he said tiredly, and Itachi turned towards him with surprise. "We've done enough to them. The _world _has done enough to them. The least that we could do is to leave them in peace after that."

Itachi was silent. He remembered Shiki's angry words to him once:

"_You've asked us once why we fight. I couldn't find the answer that I want. I had **none **of the answers that I needed. But I had no choice. None of us had. We **didn't **have a choice in what we had become! All that we could do was fight."_

Itachi clenched his hand into a tight fist.

**XXXXXX**

Shino sat at the pier, dangling his feet above the waters of the lake, looking at the dark waters. A sparrow flew near him, chirping at the insect user. Shino stretched a hand towards the sparrow who looked at him curiously, hopping near him before letting out a trill and flew off.

Shino sighed. _'So even you don't want to touch me, huh?' _he thought sadly, staring at his hand. The other accursed power of his that he never wanted. Only Shiki knew about it, and she had agreed to his request to keep this secret from the others. He remembered when he had first moved to that town that he can no longer remember the name of – the one where he'd first met Shiki in.

_You're the same as me. Why are you trying to live like a normal person? A person drenched in blood like you can no longer return to a normal life._

That had been what Shino had thought too. Until he had met Shiki, that is.

"One week…" Shino mused.

One more week to the Final Battle.

And for the better or for the worse, he will come out of it a changed person. He will follow Shiki to war. And like his friends, they will all follow her to death if necessary.

**XXXXXX**

Ren only stopped his motorbike once they were in the woods just outside of the town, and he sighed, removing his helmet, turning around to face Shiki who had gotten off, and was looking at him. She managed a small smile.

"Thanks," she said.

Ren shrugged even as he got off his bike as well. "You look like you needed it," he answered.

"So what brings you here?" Shiki asked, changing the topic quickly before Ren could ask her about Itachi. She knew that Ren had never had much love for the ANBU, and she doesn't blame him. _Which _person in the underworld _doesn't _hate them anyway? "I thought that you were investigating _that _matter?"

Ren nodded, his eyes gleaming strangely. "I did, and that's what I'm here for," he said. He then lowered his voice. "I found out what it is. The devil's fruit."

Silence.

Shiki stared at Ren for a very long while before she managed to find her voice. "You…did?" she asked, and Ren nodded, looking quite amused. Few things in this world can stun Shiki to this extent. Then again, it isn't surprising either, since Shiki had been on the hunt for this 'devil's fruit' for nearly an entire year. The redhead then blinked as she remembered Ren's words – that he had found out _what _it is. "Not _where _it is?" She asked with a frown. She had been under the impression that the 'devil's fruit', whatever it is, is some sort of ancient weapon that the Bijuu Nine had developed to deal with the Demon God.

"No," said Ren with a sigh. "I thought that it's some sort of weapon in the beginning as well. Thus a rather fruitless search for nearly an entire year." He looked annoyed at the time wasted. "I stumbled across the _real _information by accident. And I'm starting to wonder if Haku has some Seer power in her." He said wryly, much to Shiki's confusion. "She had it spot on. The devil's fruit _is _a plant, Shiki. The mistletoe plant."

Shiki looked confused. "Excuse me?"

"Look here." Ren took out a semi-thick dark green tome from his backpack that reminds Shiki of one of Hinata or Haku's many medical volumes that they had lying around their base. The redhead scooted closer to Ren who had opened the tome and was using the headlights of his motorbike to light up the area properly just so that they can see what it is that they are doing. He then flipped through the pages of the book until he had found the page that he is looking for. "This is the page." Ren explained, pointing at the page that had a picture of a battlefield, and then a drawing of the mistletoe plant.

"What is this book?" Shiki frowned.

"I found this after much searching." Ren admitted. "It's the only book in existence that is even close to retelling the actual events during the Rise and Fall of the Era of the Gods." He flipped over a few pages before stopping on a page filled with nothing but pictures, with most of it depicting a single figure. "The story of 'Beautiful Madara'." He glanced at Shiki. "Also otherwise known as the Demon God."

Shiki's eyes widened. Her eyes then went back to the page of the book. As she looked carefully at each picture that seemed to be drawn with black ink, she saw that it seemed to be the story of the Era of the Gods. The story of how the Bijuu Nine were born from the original god, the Juubi, was a fairly well-known tale. It is said that the original god simply just…died one day, and from him was borne the Bijuu Nine, and the one god that is said to balance out all their powers, the Dark God, also now known as the Demon God.

"He is originally a very handsome god," said Ren, "despite his status as the 'Dark God'. 'Beautiful Madara, invulnerable to everything. Fear nothing. But vulnerable only to the young mistletoe plant'." He tapped on the picture of the mistletoe plant.

"I think I've heard of this tale," said Shiki slowly. "Jiraiya told me this as a bedtime story when I was about five or six. It was after I had a nightmare, and he told me this story. Only story that he knew, as he told me later when I was older." She looked straight into Ren's eyes. "During the era of the gods, the mistletoe plant is a very young plant."

Ren nodded. "That's right. The Dark God is the god that is responsible for the creation of life on the planet," he explained. "That's why it is said that he is invincible to everything, as technically, he _is _the Father of All-Creation."

"But the mistletoe." Shiki added.

Ren nodded. "But the mistletoe," he echoed. He closed the book. "I wasn't _sure _if the mistletoe _is _the devil's fruit, however, and I tried to do some investigating on my own. But I hadn't seen a single mistletoe plant ever since _his_ revival." Ren looked annoyed.

"Now that you've mentioned it…" Shiki frowned. When _is _the last time when she had seen a mistletoe plant? During the month before winter, mistletoe plants could usually be seen everywhere, and it is now nearly a week or so before winter, and she hasn't seen a single one. "If you're right, and the devil's fruit _is _the mistletoe, then I guess it only makes sense that we haven't been seeing any mistletoe around." She groaned. "But where can we find one now? We only got a week left before the Final Battle."

Ren sighed. "I got a theory," he said, and Shiki raised a brow. "You know that the Demon God's army have been terrorising the country, right?" Shiki nodded. That had been the hot news ever since his revival, and his army is only making the panic worse. "There is one place that he hadn't touched so far, or at least, had _tried _to touch. The Nibi's domain. Also known as Mount Terror."

Shiki's eyes widened in realisation.

Mount Terror is a place that is known to every nin-user on earth. It is actually rumoured that it is where the entrance to the Underworld is. High class nin-users with strong powers usually head to Mount Terror in the past to master their powers and become one with their element.

Shiki then frowned. "I heard that the Demon God's army had been seen around the mountains that lead to Mount Terror, and they don't seem to be leaving anytime soon," she said. "And if they _are _there, then it also means that what we're looking for is in Mount Terror."

Ren pinched the bridge of his nose. "The only problem is that going to Mount Terror at this point in time is suicidal, with the Demon God's army. Even making it back alive will need nothing short of a miracle," he said. He looked carefully at Shiki. "And at this point, it's too dangerous for nin-users to go there. The powers of nin-users goes berserk if they even tried using it in the vicinity of Mount Terror, let alone _in _Mount Terror itself. It is called the training area for nin-users for a reason. And the only ones whom I know of that _might _make it out alive are only…Hotaru and Mizuiro. They're the only two capable of such a feat, especially with Sumaru now swapped with work with Baled."

Shiki paled. "No," she said firmly.

Ren eyed her carefully. "It's the only way. And you know it," he told her. "We don't have much time, Shiki. If we don't get the devil's fruit, we might as well just hand the entire world on a silver platter to the Demon God once he reached his full strength, as he will no doubt wipe it all out anyway." He sighed. "If it makes you feel better, I'll go with them."

That actually makes Shiki feel worse. But she also knew that Ren has a point. Thus, she bit on her lip and looked away, inwardly praying for some higher power to keep her friends safe.

**XXXXXX**

"Mizuiro!"

Hotaru screamed to her friend even as they slid about on the snow on their snowboards, trying to escape the Demon God's soulless army as they came after them, a glass canister that contains the mistletoe plant hanging from Hotaru's belt.

Ren had headed to Baled's Shinjuku base to find them, as he knew that it had been where Sai, Sumaru and the both of them would be. The four were surprised to see him, as their old friend had gone missing for nearly three months, though they have heard from Shiki that he had been doing some investigating for her. He had then calmly told them what Shiki needs, and Hotaru and Mizuiro have immediately agreed; despite Ren's statements that Shiki doesn't really want them to seek their deaths.

The surrounding areas of Mount Terror are always eternal winter, with snow all year around. No one had been able to explain it before. Hotaru and Mizuiro have both found it easy enough to slip into Mount Terror. One doesn't spend a set number of years sneaking into places that they aren't supposed to without picking up some skills. They have found the plant easy enough, with Hotaru placing it into the canister that she had brought along to preserve it. They have then tried to leave.

_Tried _being the keyword.

It is easy enough to sneak into Mount Terror. But actually leaving the entire place behind is another story.

Mizuiro turned himself around so that he is skating backwards in a rare show of his snowboarding skills, throwing a hand grenade at the soulless army before skidding over the snow as fast as he could. He didn't have to wait long before a loud explosion sounded behind them, with it scattering snow and limbs everywhere.

"Damn it, it is worse than what we have originally assumed!" Mizuiro growled, tugging on Hotaru's hand, and helping her to skid over the snow faster.

The army of the Demon God seemed to have grown stronger. Just hitting them in the head or a lethal area is no longer enough. They need to destroy the entire body before they will be considered dead. If they are this strong now, what will happen once their master, the Demon God himself reaches full strength? There will be no stopping him!

"Oh God, no…" Hotaru breathed out in horror as they saw the approaching figures of the Demon God's army approaching them from all four sides.

"Damn it…" Mizuiro hissed, grabbing Hotaru's hand so that they are both back-to-back with each other. "At the very least, the devil's fruit _must_ reach Shiki if we can't make it out!" The boy knew that he is going to die here today. He already knew that he would die the moment that he had accepted the mission to Mount Terror. Hotaru knew it too. But if it's to save their friends, they don't mind dying the way that they want to. "Where the hell is Ren?"

A welcome sound that is the motor engines of a snow bike reaches their ears just then, and both teens turned only to see a figure clad in a thick coat and gloves riding a snow bike riding towards them, knocking over several 'zombies' of the Demon God's army. Those guys are almost immortal, but they are slow, and vulnerable to fire.

Hotaru and Mizuiro exchanged looks before nodding as one. Ren slid the visor of his helmet up his face, and was taken aback as Hotaru threw the canister to him. The canister that contains the mistletoe plant.

"Ren!"

"What…?" Ren was taken aback. He took a backwards glance only to see the hordes of mindless and soulless soldiers making their way towards them, and he narrowed his eyes. "Come on, I'm getting you out of here!" He shouted. If Mizuiro is willing to perform some acrobatics by standing on the seat behind Hotaru, he can get all three of them out of here.

Mizuiro shook his head, taking several grenades out of his pocket and Hotaru readied a combat knife in her hand. The two looked ready to fight.

"You take that and go," said Mizuiro calmly. "That's what we came here for. The devil's fruit _must _reach Shiki! We'll draw their attention here so that you can escape. Ren, go!"

Ren was taken aback. "But—"

"Go!" Hotaru told him. "The fate of the world is now in your hands." She managed a small smile. "I'm leaving the others to you. Take care of Shiki. Make her happy." She told him.

"Ren. Go!" Mizuiro told him.

Ren closed his eyes briefly. "…Thank you."

He kicked his snow bike in gear, and speeded off, kicking up snow behind him. Hotaru and Mizuiro then exchanged looks and smiled at each other.

"This will be our last battle," said Hotaru, watching as the zombies loom closer. "It's too bad that we couldn't see the world that Shiki will bring about. But to know that we have came this far…" A tear trickled down her cheek. "It's enough. I wonder… If Sara and Jun and Yamato have felt this way that night?" She whispered. "I wonder… If this is what Shiki and…Ren have felt that night when they were willing to throw their lives away for us?"

Mizuiro smiled sadly at his oldest friend, obviously recalling that night as well. The night when all of them have lost everything.

"I just wish that I…could have thanked Shiki for saving us all those years back. And what she had given us after that." Hotaru continued.

"I'm sure that she knew," said Mizuiro. He then readied the grenades in his hands. "And now… This is the least that we could do for her, to repay her for having saved us all those years ago. If there is a next life, then I would want to be her friend or her comrade again. But…"

Hotaru smiled. "Yeah. Like all those years ago in the city of Hagako…" She closed her eyes briefly, recalling that awful night of rain and loss. She readied her combat knife. "This…will be a fight to the death. I might die here today, but I'll take as many of them as I could as I go down!"

**XXXXXX**

Shiki, Sai and Sumaru who were waiting in Baled's Shinjuku base was startled as a beaten looking Ren entered the room where they were in, with his coat torn and looking particularly ruffled.

The rest of Ragnarok and even the former ANBUs have headed back to the Forbidden Forest after Shiki had told them that she would head back herself after finishing with some business. The redhead had also instructed Gaara and Haku to strengthen the barriers around the forest, as by the looks of it, the battle is nearly underway.

"Ren?" Sai stood up from his seat. "What happen—"

"Hotaru and Mizuiro didn't make it." Ren said tiredly, and the faces of his three oldest friends paled instantly. "They left this instead." He held out the glass canister that contained the mistletoe plant. "The devil's fruit. This is their legacy." He told them even as Shiki stretched out a shaking hand to take it. "The least that we can do now is to make sure that they didn't die for nothing. We _must _stop the Demon God at all costs."

Shiki was silent for a long time, before she turned towards Sumaru. "Sumaru, how long until winter hits us?" she asked.

Sumaru glanced at the calendar in a corner and turned back to his friends. "Four more days," he replied. He sighed. "It all starts from there then." He muttered, and Shiki nodded grimly, clutching at the canister like it's her lifeline. "Very well. Sai, get ready to move everyone." He ordered. "We're heading to the Forbidden Forest tonight. If this is a battle for our world, then we will jolly well fight for it. Anyone that doesn't wish to participate in this is free to go. I won't force them. Spread the message. We're leaving a few of the technicians and healers like Fuu and Utakata here. We need an emergency base camp of sorts after all."

Sai nodded and headed out of the room to inform the rest of Baled. Ren sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "It begins then," he said tiredly.

Shiki nodded. "We don't have time," she said. "Once the first snow falls, we're falling into war."

**XXXXXX**

Four days passed in a blur.

The past four days are filled with activity, mainly consisting of the Ragnarok members increasing the barriers and wards around the Forbidden Forest, and the Baled people getting more supplies and weapons. The former ANBUs aren't really sitting around doing nothing as well. For once, Ragnarok didn't snap at them, but allowed them to help. Even Rock Lee wasn't his usual boisterous self.

And then again, with the sudden urgency and seriousness of the situation, even Lee knows that this is no time to fool around. Even the people of Baled were all on guard. But because of the size of the Forbidden Forest, only Sai and Sumaru have came over from Baled, with the rest of them on standby.

Haku and Neji were on night guard duty on the fourth day, watching from the top of the tower in the Forbidden Forest that is the best place to watch for anything coming from miles. Hinata and Gaara were on guard duty at the entrance of the Forbidden Forest.

"Oh." Haku looked up into the night sky as the temperature dropped drastically all of a sudden. Small white flakes starting falling from the skies, and the ice maiden reached out a hand only to catch a small white flake on her palm. "Snow…" She muttered. "It's snowing."

Neji sighed. "The first snow has fallen," he muttered. "That means it's time."

Haku nodded, and she then stiffened as her sharp eyes noted several humanoid shapes approaching their direction in the darkness. She narrowed her eyes, pulling out a pair of binoculars and looking through them. Haku then hissed to herself beneath her breath as she saw what are unmistakably the soulless zombies of the Demon God's army.

"Neji." Haku spoke warily.

The Hyuuga was confused in the beginning before Haku tossed him the binoculars that she had been using, and he looked through them only to see what Haku had seen. Neji stiffened, lowering the binoculars, and exchanging glances with the ice maiden.

"They're here," said Neji grimly.

Haku nodded.

Everyone was already briefed by Shiki two days ago what to expect once the first snow falls, and they entered winter. The first place that the Demon God would attack will be the Forbidden Forest without a doubt. Thus, Shiki, Sumaru, Sai and Ren have already planned everything out in advance, including the battle plans.

That had been their forte after all, since such had been their life when they were living in Hagako as the street gang Blade.

"Inform Gaara and Hinata," said Neji. "I'm sounding the alarm." He then moved down the tower to sound the emergency alarm to rouse his friends.

Haku pulled out the communicator device in her pocket before slipping it into her ear, tapping on it gently. "This is Haku. First breach detected. We're entering into Phase One," she spoke into the communicator.

There was a cackle just then, and Hinata's voice cackled through. _"Affirmative. Entering Phase One."_

A loud clanging sound of wood on wood echoed around the Forbidden Forest immediately, a sound that is loud and sharp enough to rouse even the deepest of sleepers. Haku immediately noted a sudden increase in activity from the sleeping areas down below her. The ice user then moved to head down the tower.

It is starting.

* * *

Nii Yugito who is currently in the small graveyard of the Forbidden Forest stiffened at the sound of the alarm that echoed all over the Forbidden Forest, and smiled to herself albeit sadly.

"Entering Phase One," she murmured. "Time. Give me as much time as you could, guys." Yugito murmured, glancing over her shoulder.

Phase One, repel the intruders and commence attack.

Yugito then got down on one knee to the ground of the graveyard and closed her eyes, digging her hands into the soft soil of the graveyard, channelling her power like how she always did when calming the spirits. Only this time, she is calling for their help. And the help of the very soul of the Forbidden Forest itself – the guardian of the Bijuu Nine.

"The Forbidden Forest is being threatened, as is the sacred resting place of the Bijuu Nine. Man the boundaries. Protect the Shrine. Do your duty to the land!"

There was silence for a moment.

Then with a loud screech, the skeletons of the dead started to rise from the graves with a loud clattering sound, and dark shadows started emerging from within the trees of the Forbidden Forest itself, ready to defend their home. The trees started rustling, almost like it had a life of it's own, and it might just be Yugito's imagination, but she could have sworn that the trees have grown majestically in size, almost towering above her.

Yugito smiled before she got to her feet.

Her job here is done. Now she has to help her friends.

* * *

Shiki who is standing at the entrance of the Shrine with Ren noted the flurry of movement and action, and she sighed as she heard what Haku had told them through the communicators that they were all told to keep on.

"So they're here," said Ren grimly, and Shiki nodded.

"Do you really want to be here?" she asked him. "It's not going to be an easy battle. We might not even make it out of here alive." She warned him.

Ren smiled. "You're not getting rid of me that easily," he said cheerfully. "Besides, someone has to be here to make sure that you don't do anything stupid or reckless."

Shiki was silent for a long time. "Why do you go this far?" she asked.

"I don't need a reason," said Ren. "Besides, I'm sure that this won't be the last time that I'll have to choose between you and something else that means a lot to me. But I know that I'll choose you every time. This is what it means to be in love, right? After all, the more important that something is to you, the more that you have to give up to have it."

Shiki was silent before she tapped on her communicator, making sure that everyone can hear her. "Everyone, can you hear me?" she asked. She took in a deep breath. "Give this battle everything that you've got. This…will be the last battle. Ragnarok, this will be our _final _battle. Our final stand. But no matter what happens, you will always be my best friends." She told them.

Ren's eyes widened as his memory brought him back to a night when Shiki had said something similar. Over by the base camp, Sai and Sumaru stiffened as well.

"_They're here, aren't they?" Sara asked grimly as Shiki slammed the door shut behind her._

_The redhead nodded grimly. "We don't have a choice. We're going to have to fight," she said, and she was rewarded with determined looks and nods on the faces of her friends. The street gang Blade. "It doesn't matter either way." She took in a deep breath. "One last time. This will be the night that Blade fights our final battle. But no matter what, you guys will always be one of my best friends."_

Sai and Sumaru exchanged looks. "Shiki, no one is going to die." Sumaru told his friend through the communicator that he had on. "We're _all _going to come out of this alive."

Ren nodded, looking at Shiki, a pained expression in his eyes. "He's right."

Shiki closed her eyes briefly. "You don't know that for sure," she said. _'Just like how we didn't know what is going to happen that night.' _She looked at Ren. "If we come out of this alive, I'll tell you my answer to your question that night several months ago." She told him.

Ren looked confused for several moments before he realised what Shiki is talking about, and he smiled. "Not now?" he teased.

"_I do not care." Ren insisted, combing a lock of her hair behind her ears, leaning in closer to her. Shiki could almost smell his warm breath upon her face. "I'll wait for you." Shiki was taken aback as Ren's strong arm wrapped around her lower back, and his lips rested next to her left ear. "I will say this to you as many times as I have to." He whispered into her ear. "I love you." Shiki's eyes widened. "I waited for you for eight years. I knew you for more than ten. Don't I know you well enough by now?" Ren released his hold on Shiki and stepped backwards. "I understand you even better than you know yourself. You don't like to kill. But you had to, because it is the only way to survive, and because it is a cruel world out there. You can be cruel. But you are also kind. Why else would you take in all the others back then when you could barely fend for yourself? And remember what you've said once, and what I've said?" Shiki's eyes widened. "I do not fear Death. What I fear is losing sight of what I believed in. I believe that your path is the right one, no matter what you have to do. True heroes don't exist. Not anymore. What does exist though…are people who take on the hatred of the world in order to make a difference." Ren's lips twitched. "And we call those people…**antiheroes."**_

"_Ren…"_

_Ren leaned in close to Shiki once more. "Even if everyone hates you, I won't," he whispered. "I will always believe in you. I believed that your decision to disband Blade was the right one eight years ago when Ne came. And I still believed that it is the right one. No matter what you will decide in the future, I will always stand by you. I believe in you. That's why… Don't degrade yourself like that. You are no monster. You are human." He touched the area where Shiki's heart would have been gently. "You are Namikaze Shiki. Former leader of Blade. Captain of Ragnarok. And…the person whom I love. That's who you are. You are human. Never think that you are not." He whispered. "Even if the whole world turns against you, I won't abandon you." He stated. "I…will never betray you."_

Shiki managed a small smile. "Gives you incentive to stay alive," she told him. She then picked up the bag by her foot and slung it across her chest. She closed her eyes briefly. _'The mistletoe plant. And the Book of the Dead. We got all the tools that we need.' _She patted the bag briefly. _'We're ready for the final battle.'_

"Well then…" Ren picked up his own bag, slinging it across his chest. Unlike Shiki however, Ren had packed several firearms, grenades and weapons in that bag. The redhead don't even want to know just _how _and _where _he had gotten all those! Ren then smiled at Shiki. "Let's go."

Shiki nodded. Before she followed Ren out of the Shrine however, she glanced at her clenched fist. _'Ero-Sennin… Sasame… Kankuro… Miyuki… Suzuki… Ein… And Yamato, whether you are dead or alive…' _she thought. _'We've come this far to stop now. All our battles and fights… It has been for this day. Let's go!'_

And she stepped out of the Shrine and towards the battlefield.

The war is on.

It had begun.

* * *

_A/N: And so, the war had begun! After who knows how many chapters, it had finally begun! And so, be prepared for PLENTY of character deaths! This story will probably have another five or so chapters before it reaches the end. But I have plans for a sequel, so don't worry._

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_


	43. Battle of Wills

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Forty Three: Battle of Wills**

The clash of metal against metal could be heard as blades flew, and bullets were fired from the resounding guns.

The battle against the Demon God and his army had moved to the mainland sometime ago, and it is already mid-morning by now, with the sun high in the air. And unfortunately, the battles had already wiped out quite a few towns and villages in their wake, leaving nothing but destroyed buildings, and leaving behind a town that looks more like a ghost town.

Unfortunately, that is the reality of war. And right now, this country is now facing one of the worst wars that could ever be waged in the history of mankind.

The gleam of sunlight bouncing off the metal of blades could be seen for just a fraction of a second before being followed by the sickening sound of metal entering flesh, as Namikaze Shiki and Ren stood back-to-back with each other, blood soaked weapons in their hands. Tears were already visible in their clothes, and they were clearly worn out. Sumaru and Sai stood near them, also standing back-to-back with each other, their individual weapons in their hands.

Blood was already soaking the battlefield, making it slick and wet with blood. The battle had drawn the people fighting on both sides to a large clearing known as Death Creek that is clearly living up to their name, as the numbers of dead bodies that could be seen littered all over were building up slowly. And not all of the dead belongs to the enemy.

"Just like old times, eh?" Sumaru panted, even as he bound a bandage around the hand holding onto the dagger that he is holding. "Just like back during our days with Blade, and the times in Hagako." He grinned at his friends.

"I guess." Shiki mused. "Just like back then, the only rule here is to fight until you're the last one standing. The only way to take out these guys is to aim for the head. They won't 'die' unless we do." She threw a throwing knife from the holster secured around her thigh at an approaching 'zombie', with the knife hitting it in the center of his forehead.

"If this is only the first wave of the Demon God's army, I don't even want to know what the second wave will be like." Ren grumbled, and Shiki smiled weakly.

Like what Shiki and Ren have mentioned before, the gods had taken seven days to build the world. Likewise, the Demon God will use seven days to destroy everything. They only have those seven days to save and protect their world by killing the dark god himself.

"Come on, the sooner that we end this, the better." Sai stated before diving straight back into the heat of battle. The other three soon followed his example.

Not too far away, Itachi was letting loose with his flames, and he raised one eyebrow in surprise when he saw that not a single Ragnarok member was using their nin-abilities. No. Unlike the former ANBUs, they were sticking to their weapons instead. Tenten was the most terrifying one out there, hurling around projectiles of every kind imaginable that it almost made Itachi wonder for a moment just where she'd managed to keep it all. The other Ragnarok members were also keeping well away from her, as the brunette had remarkably good aim. Every projectile that she threw always got the enemy in the head, and sometimes, a few of those projectiles easily went right _through_ her target, and into the head of another.

"They're not using their powers." Itachi murmured in confusion, and his brother and Kisame who were both near him looked on in both surprise and confusion. "They're not using it. Why?"

"Because they don't need to," said a nearby Baled member calmly. If memory serves Itachi correctly, the name of this Baled member is Utakata or something. Utakata glanced at them momentarily, releasing three projectiles at once that were clenched in between his fingers, nailing three of the undead simultaneously. "They might be nin-users; high class ones, but unlike you people from the ANBU, they don't solely rely on their powers. The first thing that Shiki taught them is how to fight as a human." He lashed out with one foot, kicking an undead in the face, kicking them towards Midori Fuu's direction who ended them immediately by taking off the head with a quick swipe of her sword. "After that, she then taught them how to fight as a nin-user; to be one with their element." He glanced at Itachi. _"That_ is how a true nin-user fights."

**XXXXXX**

"Well, for the first day, it's turned out pretty well." Sumaru was saying that night as everyone was gathered around the campfire, having their dinner. As all of them have been fighting the entire day, only having lasted this long by relying on ration bars, they were all pretty starved, with this being their first real meal of the day. "At least no one died."

"Yeah, but it is going to get more difficult as the days passed." Haku stated solemnly. "The real battle will be on the fifth day. If everything goes accordingly to our calculations, that will be the time when the Demon God makes his move."

"Seven days…" Nagato murmured, tightening his arms around himself in a manner rather reminiscent of a scared child. Konan who was next to him hugged him to give him some comfort. "I've heard of that old tale, but I'd never really believed that it's real, you know?"

Neji snorted. "Well, you'd better believe it, since it's happening right now," he said. "The end of the world…" He muttered. Neji then shook his head. "No. We won't let that happen."

"The members of the underworld have been putting in their bid to help as well." Hinata told her cousin. "Those few who aren't really skilled in combat have taken to leading the civilians to the underground shelters. A couple of those skilled in combat are acting as guards for them. They won't be emerging until we tell them that it's safe. They have enough food and supplies there to last them for seven days. This information came from Isaribi-san. She's been acting as the leader for the underground movement, upon Shiki's request."

"Good. At least the civilians are safe then." Temari sighed. "At least that's one thing we don't have to worry about. And if Isaribi is with them, then I guess that they'll be fine. This war will probably destroy almost every building in the land though. But at the moment, it can't be helped."

Shikamaru sighed, with the strategist having been strangely silent. "War has really broken out, hasn't it?" he sighed.

* * *

"Well, Isaribi is watching over the civilians in the underground shelter, so they'll be fine." Ren told Shiki in the woods. "A few of Mist's guards were left with them for protection, so Isaribi will be safe too."

"Good." Shiki sighed.

The underground shelter is really like one underground labyrinth, with it stretching underground for miles and miles. And the entrances to it lie in nearly every town and city across Japan. Only those who knew where those entrances are knew how to get in.

Ren was silent for a long time. "I'd never thought that I'd actually see the day when you will actually _protect_ those selfish bastards," he stated.

"Well, it's not really for them that I'm doing this for." Shiki sighed. "I actually want a place where I can call home too, you know? And if I let the Demon God do as he wants, we won't even have that anymore." She was silent for a while. "You know, I remember something that Yamato had said once." She looked at Ren. "Butterflies can't see their wings. They can't truly see how truly beautiful they are, but everyone else can. People are like that as well. They are blind to what's in front of them."

Ren sighed. "Yeah, isn't that the truth?" he chuckled bitterly. "Sometimes, I wonder why do people even fight. For what reason do they continue fighting? What reason do they have?"

Shiki was silent for a long time, merely looking up at the night sky. "Kisame and Sasuke both asked me the same question about a few weeks before the war commences," she told Ren. "They asked me why do I fight. For what reason does Ragnarok exists? Just why…? Why did I kill those councillor bastards?" Shiki ran her fingers through her hair. "The people of the world have turned their backs against me, the corners of their eyes are all twisted up. But the greatest pain to me, is the fact that they—that some of them became the same as them too. They think that everything will be fine as long as they pretend as such. Sorry. The world isn't such a nice place as that. And in time, _everyone_ will soon realise this as this war reaches the peak." Shiki sighed, turning away. "I'm going to turn in soon. Tomorrow is going to be another battle."

"Yeah." Ren nodded. He waited until Shiki's soft footsteps have faded away completely as she disappeared from sight before he turned to look over his shoulder. "Have you heard enough?" He called out.

There was silence for several moments before there was a light rustling of leaves, and Uchiha Itachi stepped out from within the trees. "How do you know that I'm there?" he asked.

Ren snorted. "You must be deluding yourself if you think that you can hide your presence from me or Shiki," he said. "She already knew that you're here right from the start. She just didn't say anything." He closed his eyes briefly. "After all, she had already said all that she wanted to say. If you want to continue deceiving yourself, do as you please. But save it for until after the war."

"You make it sound as if that's what Shiki feels." Itachi told Ren frostily.

"It _is_ what she feels." Ren told Itachi bluntly, and the Uchiha stepped back almost like he's been slapped. "I know that Gaara and the rest, and probably even Kisame had already said the same thing to you countless times. _Leave Shiki be._ You've already done enough to her. Now leave her be."

**XXXXXX**

_The war only grew worse by the day. _

_It had only lasted for seven days, but to us who were at the frontlines of the war—who were in the lead group who had lead the war, to take the battle straight to the Demon God himself, it felt longer than that. _

_It had been a war a long time coming after all._

'_This is the sin of the gods, and as their descendants and the people now living in the current world, it is our duty to clean it up.' That had been what Shiki had said. But at that time, none of us realises the true meaning behind those words. Unlike us, Shiki, Ren, Sumaru and Sai have been involved in more battles and fights than they had ever wanted to see._

_When I'd first met Shiki, even before Ragnarok was established, even though she doesn't have a thing to her name, even though she just has…nothing, there is something special about her, something that draws people to her like moths to flame. She just has that special power – to attract people to her, and to move people's hearts._

_People like Shiki are rare. No matter what she has to endure, no matter what she has to do, she had never lost faith. She had never lost hope. She still continued believing and hoping, believing that one day, she will reach her dream. _

_But still, is it even worth saving now? Is this world even worth saving now? I don't even know at that time. _

_So many people had died by the time that the war had ended, all in the name of peace. Too many in fact. I know that war can be ugly, but that truth didn't truly sink in until I saw the end of the war. So many people have died. All of them have given their lives in order to achieve whatever peace that we have now._

_But in the end, is it even worth it?_

_The Seven Day War, the war against the Demon God and his army – a fight for the world took a turn for the worse on the fourth day. Like what Shiki and Ren have predicted, the war and the battles grew worse. Those that we have been fighting up until then have been the soulless minions – those that have lost both their souls and their hearts, and are nothing more than just mere puppets moving according to the Demon God's will. But on the fourth day, some of the more dangerous guys came out._

_On the fourth day is when we truly saw what we're getting ourselves into. The day when one of our number left us._

_-Extract from Shisei Haku's diary_

**XXXXXX**

Shiki turned her body in several ways that is supposedly near impossible for a human body to reach, even as she grabbed the tree branch overhead, hanging from it, and she grabbed the undead that she is fighting with her thighs, twisting his head clean off his shoulders.

Panting, she dropped down to the ground once more, surveying the battlefield. Not far away from her, Ren is reloading his gun again for the umpteenth time, lashing out with his foot to kick another undead in the face, sending him towards Haku's direction who is more than happy to freeze the undead.

It is now the fourth day of the war, and like what Shiki had already predicted, the battles are getting more difficult, and their side had already suffered numerous losses. Thankfully, those aren't really people whom they knew on a personal basis, but it still didn't feel good. After all, those faceless and nameless people have friends too. Even maybe family.

"Damn it, they're sure persistent." Ren grumbled, firing off another round of bullets at a group of the undead that are heading straight towards them. Each bullet nailed every single undead straight in the head, and they fell over, unmoving.

Shiki frowned as she surveyed the battlefield. The battle had already been going on for a few hours, and their side is slowly pushing their way forward. The Demon God's army is fearsome and powerful, but nothing that they can't handle, especially if they're working together.

"Ren, where's Sai?" Shiki asked her friend who froze and quickly scanned the battlefield, searching for that familiar head of hair.

That had been their battle plan – the former Blade members would be working together, since they've been through numerous similar battles during their gang days, and would be effective enough as a tank to clear the path for the others. The others would all be pairing each other up to deal with their enemies.

Shiki had been very clear on that. No one is to fight the enemy by themselves. They are all to work in pairs or groups. It is the only way to fight the Demon God's army, since even as 'immortal' as they are, not even they could stand up to a pair of skilled fighters that could function like a well-oiled machine.

"I hadn't seen him since he has to take Sumaru back to base for the medic tent." Ren told Shiki.

Sumaru had gotten careless in battle earlier, and had almost lost his arm when a particularly ferocious undead had gotten in close to him. He had been lucky that Sai had been near him, and had immediately beheaded the guy. As blood was flowing from his wound like a river, Sai had to carry him back to base.

Shiki glanced around the battlefield. They've mostly cleared the area now, and the remaining enemies left should not pose much of a threat or a problem even. "We're heading back to base." Shiki told Ren. "I got a really bad feeling…" She immediately took off, with Ren close on her heels, confused. She will only rest her mind once she can actually see Sai with her own eyes.

* * *

The 'base' is really more of a makeshift camp that they've made. Injured soldiers were lying in makeshift beds, with the few that knew first aid tending to them. Hinata had been put to doctor duty alongside Konan, with the two being one of the few skilled healers that Shiki knew of. Nishimura Rin had also shown up on the second day of the war, volunteering her services as a doctor.

During the first two days of the war, Shiki got surprise visits from several of her friends, or even those whom she had helped in the past.

Shizune had also shown up with Genma, Hayate, Anko, and much to Shiki's surprise, Iruka, volunteering their services. Unlike the others however, Shizune is there as a doctor, and thanks to four accomplished field doctors present at the base, Shiki wasn't worried about the people fighting for their cause. Tojirama Yuki had also shown up – the girl being one of Ragnarok's clients in the past, and she had offered to help with transporting supplies, helping with the injured, and even delivering messages. Her younger twin siblings have both been left with someone whom she trusted, and Shiki is pleased to learn that the three siblings are getting on well since then.

A nearby volunteer immediately directed Shiki and Ren to one of the medic tents when Shiki had asked for Sumaru, and the two entered only to find the mentioned person lying in one of the makeshift beds, bandages bound around his left arm and neck, and even his forehead. Hinata is currently tending to Sumaru, in the midst of changing the bandages around his left arm when the both of them entered.

"What are both of you doing here?" Hinata asked in surprise. "Is the battle over already?"

"Not yet, but it should be by now." Shiki answered quickly. She then turned towards Sumaru. "Sumaru, did you see Sai?"

Sumaru is injured, but not that badly that he couldn't understand what Shiki had said. The boy looked confused as he answered Shiki. "No, I hadn't seen him ever since he'd dropped me off with Hinata, and returned to the battlefield."

Ren paled. Now he understood what Shiki is worried about. _"Alone?"_ he croaked.

Sumaru looked nervous and worried. "I-I think so?" He made it sound more like a question. He looked scared for a moment as he looked at Shiki and Ren who have both gone pale in the faces. "D-Didn't you both see Sai? He said that he's going to rejoin both of you when he'd dropped me off back here."

"No. We hadn't seen him ever since he had taken you back to base!" Shiki said, worried. "Where is he?"

"Have you tried his communicator?" Sumaru tried to ease Shiki's worries. At the start of the war, every single one of them was issued a communicator that they were told to have on themselves at all times.

"We did. He isn't responding. It's either that, or his communicator is either broken or had fallen off sometime in the midst of battle." Ren answered, his face taking on a worried frown. "It probably won't be so bad if he's in the areas where we have fought so far. But if he's somewhere within the red zone…" He trailed off.

Shiki's cellphone blared out just then. Startled, the redhead immediately fished it out and answered it. "Hello?"

There were a few moments of silence on the other end of the line before someone spoke. _"…Shiki?"_

Shiki's eyes widened. "Sai?" she exclaimed, and Hinata, Sumaru and Ren turned towards her sharply. The redhead quickly put her phone on loudspeaker mode just so that the other three could hear. "Sai, where are you?" She asked quickly.

Sai didn't answer for a few moments. And judging by the background noises, he's currently in one of the battlefields. _"Hey Shiki. I just thought that I should…make one last call,"_ he murmured, his voice growing distant.

Sumaru, Ren and Shiki exchanged alarmed looks with each other. One last call? He's making it sound like he won't be returning alive. "One last call? Sai, where are you?" Shiki asked quickly, slowly growing hysterical.

"_With Yamato-nii."_ Sai answered, and Shiki's eyes widened in shock, almost losing her hold on the phone entirely. Ren looked as if someone had just punched all the air out of him whilst Sumaru looked as if he'd just swallowed a lemon. An _extremely_ sour lemon. Hinata merely looked confused. _"I was right, wasn't I? He's alive. He's really alive. Although… I can't say that he's really 'alive' in a sense."_ Sai's voice shook at this point. _"I just thought…that I should call and thank you…for everything."_

Ren grabbed Shiki's hand – the one that is holding the phone. "Sai, where are you?" he asked urgently. "Don't go doing anything stupid! The Yamato that you are seeing right now… That is not the real Yamato! Get out of there immediately! Do you hear me? Sai!"

Hinata can only stare. That should be the first time that she had seen Ren losing his composure, and looking almost…panicked. And he wasn't the only one. Shiki looked to be half a moment away from chasing down Sai, and if Sumaru wasn't as injured as he was, she is pretty sure that he would probably be out of the tent right this moment, and going after Sai.

"…_It's all right." _Sai said at last after a long silence had followed after Ren's outburst. _"This…is what I wanted to do for a long time. Thank you for everything, Shiki. I just wish…that I could have the chance to see the new world that you would bring about."_ Shiki looked close to losing it at this moment. _"You, Ren, Sumaru, and everyone… All of you are simply wonderful people. The three of you are my oldest friends, and you'd never once looked at me as a traitor, even after what I'd done during my short stint in Roots. That's why… I just thought that I should call you one last time… To thank you for everything."_

"Sai, don't be stupid! Get out of there! Don't you dare die like that!" Sumaru shouted at the phone, fighting to get out of the bed that he's in, but Hinata pushed him back into it. "Sai!"

"…_That's that then. Bye." Click._

"No… No…! No!" Sumaru cried, struggling to get out of the bed. "That idiot! What is he thinking? That isn't Yamato! If it is indeed Yamato, the Yamato that we knew, he would have long been at our side! The 'Yamato' that is with him now… It's definitely one of the Demon God's soldiers! Sai is going to die at this rate!"

"Hinata, watch over Sumaru. Make sure he don't get out of bed." Shiki told Hinata who nodded wordlessly. "Ren, we're going!"

Shiki immediately took off from the tent, with Ren close behind her, the teen keeping in pace with the redhead. "Do you even know where Sai is?" Ren asked quickly.

"No. But I know someone who can find him," said Shiki quickly, heading back into the direction of the battlefield that they have just came from. "Haku and Temari could find him with their abilities."

* * *

Sai ended the call on his cellphone and turned his gaze back to the brunette that stood across from him.

Said brunette is a few years his senior, with dark brunette hair that sticks up in all directions, being dressed in a black high collared shirt that was opened at the neck, with black trousers and combat boots, along with a long black coat that reaches nearly to his thighs. Clutched in his right hand is a long gleaming sword that looks as if it could deal a lot of damage to Sai should any of his hits connects. And judging by how the brunette handled the sword, Sai could tell that he's a master at swordsmanship.

'_No wonder I can never find you, no matter how hard I have looked these past eight years.'_ Sai thought mournfully as he looked at the adult across him that bore such a striking resemblance to his beloved blood brother. _'You really are dead, aren't you, Yamato-nii? That's the only way that you can be here right now, fighting in the Demon God's army. But this must be some kind of joke… Why must he use you? Why must you show up in front of me with that face? Is this my punishment? For everything that I've done? If so, I'll accept my fate. But I'll take you with me. I can't let you hurt my friends…'_ He closed his eyes briefly.

"Sorry Shiki." Sai whispered beneath his breath. "Looks like…I can't keep my promise to you in the end." He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, looking at his opponent. Sai then slid two short swords out of the sheathes at the back of his waist. "Ren… Take care of Shiki. Make her happy." He murmured. He then hardened his gaze as he looked at his opponent who looked at him with the familiar emotionless eyes that every soldier in the Demon God's army possesses. "Yamato-nii… Here I come."

* * *

"Haku, not done yet?" Shiki asked her friend who is currently kneeled by the side of a puddle, even as different colours shimmered and shone on it, as Haku focused her power.

"You're disrupting my concentration!" Haku stated, annoyed, but she didn't take her eyes off of the puddle of water. "Don't worry, I'll find Sai!"

Ren turned his eyes towards the skies. _'Hotaru. Mizuiro. Jun. Sara. Suigetsu. Watch over Sai.'_ He prayed.

* * *

Sai coughed out blood as his back impacted hard with the trunk of the tree, and he got to his feet shakily, ignoring the steady flow of blood from the injury by his side. Splotches of blood could already be seen in this part of the clearing that they were in, yet Sai didn't care.

Clutching his blades in his hands, Sai glanced at Yamato across him who still looked as clean as a whistle with barely a hair out of place. In the first place, it had been Yamato who had taught him to fight, and had even taught him how to use swords. The guy had been a genius with swords and is a remarkably skilled fighter prior to his meeting with Sai, and then the rest of Blade, and he been a real asset to Blade during their days back in Hagako.

'_Even though I know that that is not Yamato-nii, those moves… Everything is screaming at me that that is Yamato-nii!'_ Sai thought desperately. "Yamato-nii! Try to remember! Have you forgotten who you are?" He screamed at the emotionless brunette.

The soldiers of the Demon God's army are resurrected humans. In other words, they are living breathing people once upon a time. And if this…undead standing across him right now is indeed Yamato, then he must have some memory of Sai, of Shiki, and of Blade too.

Blade had been a prominent part of the lives of their members. And even years after Blade had been officially disbanded, no one had forgotten their lives as members of Blade. Even now, the name Blade is still spoken about with fear in the underworld.

"I'm not your brother." 'Yamato' said emotionlessly, speaking rather like how a robot would. "The Demon God created me by using the original host – the one you speak of, Yamato. I am Tenzo. I am that which answers to the Demon God's will. I am his shield and his sword. If he needs me, I will cut down any that opposes him and stands in his path."

Sai shook his head. He is so close! "No! You're Yamato-nii!" He nearly screamed. "'I believe that with a strong will, one can even overcome death'. This is what Shiki used to tell us in the past! Have you forgotten all that? Blade. Shiki. Sumaru. Hotaru. Mizuiro. Jun. Sara. And Suigetsu! Have you forgotten everyone? Have you forgotten me? Wake up, Yamato-nii!"

A flicker of some unknown emotion appeared in Tenzo's eyes, but it was gone so quickly that Sai didn't even notice it. "If we can't go back to the times of the past…" Sai flung the two blades in his hands towards Tenzo who deflected them easily with his sword. It only distracted him from Sai for just a moment. That moment is all that Sai needed. He immediately clung onto Tenzo, entrapping his limbs with his own body. The younger boy then slid a long sword out of the sheathe on his back – a sword that had once belonged to Yamato. "Then let's go together to the next life…" Sai whispered before thrusting the sword through Tenzo's back, with the long blade of the sword impaling them both in vital spots.

Tenzo coughed out blood even as a look of recognition appeared in his eyes.

"_What did you say? I dare you to say that to my face!" Sai got into Sumaru's face._

"_With pleasure!" Sumaru shouted back. "You want to take this outside? Then let's go!"_

"_The both of you, cut this out!" An annoyed Sara bopped the two males on their heads, causing them to nurse the nice bumps. "Every single day, you do this…" She almost groaned. "Don't you ever get tired of arguing? I know for one that I'm tired of listening to you two fight!"_

_Not far away, Yamato who isn't standing too far away from Riku and Shiki laughed, a book in his hand. "He seems to be getting with the others just fine. I'm glad." He smiled. "I was afraid that bringing him with me to Blade might be a mistake."_

"_I've told you, didn't I? As long as it's someone whom you think is all right, then it's fine." Shiki looked at her friend. "Besides, he brightens things up around here, even if his jokes are kinda lame."_

_Yamato laughed. "It reminds me of a saying that I'd read once," he smiled. "Butterflies can't see their wings. They can't truly see how truly beautiful they are, but everyone else can. People are like that as well." He sighed. "They are blind to what's in front of them."_

Yamato let out a gasp. "…Sai…" His name passed from the brunette's lips before he slowly turned to dust.

Sai coughed out blood, as the blade remained embedded in his chest, near the heart area. Slowly, with what remained of his remaining strength, he pulled the sword out, with it falling with a clatter to the ground. The teen then dragged himself over to the nearby tree, and leaned against it, breathing heavily, gasping, even as he tried to inhale some oxygen. But to no avail. Black spots were already starting to appear in his vision, and he could barely feel his limbs anymore.

Is this…Death?

He had said so himself in the past, that he is not afraid to die. After all, if you are in the underworld, or if you are in this line of business, and you are afraid to die, then you are better off not doing this at all. You are either in this right until the end, or you stay the hell out of it.

So why? Why is he feeling like this now?

Sai choked and coughed out blood. He feels so tired all of a sudden. Is he…going to die here? Is he really…going to die alone? He had envisioned the way that he is going to die so many times, but not like this.

In the end, is this his punishment?

Is this…the end?

This is the sight that Shiki and Ren, being followed by Haku, came across as they arrived at the same clearing where Yamato and Sai had their battle just a few moments ago.

They didn't see Sai immediately at first. They first caught the strong stench of blood as the wind changed directions, blowing it into their faces. All three stopped in their tracks in horror as they saw the prone figure of Sai leaning against the tree trunk, his clothes almost completely drenched in his own blood.

Shiki was the first one to snap out of her shock and began moving towards her old friend. Ren and Haku were just right behind her.

"Sai!" Shiki called out as she reached Sai's body, kneeling by his side, Ren and Haku on his other side. Ren had a pained look on his face, and Haku immediately began trying to heal Sai. But the ice maiden knew, like the other two, that it is futile. Even nin-healing at this point is pointless. Shiki's lips trembled with emotion even as her hands shook. She had absolutely no idea what to do. "No…"

Why is this happening?

Shiki tried to stop a straggled sob from escaping, but she failed.

She didn't know what to do to save Sai.

She _couldn't_ save him.

"The blood isn't stopping!" Haku cried out in frustration, even as she tried and failed to stop the blood from flowing. "Stop…! Just stop!"

Ren grasped Haku by the arm silently, and she turned tear brimmed eyes towards the silent teen. Ren looked solemn, and there is a look in his eyes that told Haku that the boy knew that Sai wouldn't be making it.

"Enough." Ren said softly. "It's too late. It is futile, and you know it."

Slowly, Haku let the soft healing green glow around her hands die out and she dropped her hands by her sides, as she tried hard to stop the straggled sobs from escaping. She is a healer, damn it! Why can't she save him? Why can't she save _anyone?_

Kankuro. Sasame. Jiraiya. And now Sai.

Shiki bit on her bottom lip as she looked at Sai, the obvious sword wound in his chest where blood was pooling from like a fountain, staining his already dark coat an even darker colour as he coughed, his life slowly seeping away from him.

_No._

With a shaking hand, Shiki reached out and shook Sai by the shoulder slowly, her other hand resting on his limp right hand that would soon have no warmth left. Her voice almost cracked up as she spoke.

"Sai. Wake up." Tears fell onto the ground—tears that Shiki didn't even realise were falling from her eyes. How long has it been since she'd last cried? Probably the night when more than half of Blade had perished. A sob tore from her throat. "Please…"

It isn't fair.

This can't be happening.

Sai took in several weak rasping breaths, sounding almost like he had a bad case of asthma, his eyes slightly glazed over and unfocused – almost like he can't be sure of what he's seeing in front of him. He coughed, spilling more of the crimson liquid from his lips.

"Shiki?" he rasped weakly, crimson blood spilling over his lips with each spoken word. "Ren? Haku? Is that you?"

"Yeah." Shiki said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "It's us. Everything is going to be okay." Her lips trembled with emotion. "Everything… Everything is going to be just fine."

Ren's lower lip trembled. "…Did you see Yamato?" he asked at last.

Sai coughed harshly. "Y-Yeah…" he rasped. "But he didn't remember me. But in the end… Maybe he did. No…" He coughed harshly. "I'm sure he did." He took in several rasping breaths, gasping for air as he found it more difficult to breathe. "Shiki… Please… You have to go after the Demon God. End it. Stop him at all costs."

"Sai…" Haku murmured.

Sai coughed harshly. "In the end… This will really…be the end of Blade, won't it?" he rasped, smiling weakly up at Ren and Shiki. "Hotaru. Mizuiro. Jun. Sara. Suigetsu. Yamato-nii. And now me. Now… You both…and Sumaru… You three are now really…the last ones…remaining of the legendary street gang Blade."

Shiki said nothing for several moments. "You know this as well as I do, Sai," she said at last. "Just like back then… Even if Blade is no longer around, our legend will still live on. People will forget what you said. People will forget what you do. But people will never forget how you made them feel."

Sai coughed. "T-Tell Sumaru…that I'm leaving Baled…to him. And tell him…that I'm sorry…for everything," he rasped.

"Sai…"

Sai chuckled weakly, but that only made him cough harshly, spilling more of the crimson liquid from his lips. "I've never regretted it…" he rasped. "Getting to know everyone… Our days with Blade…in Hagako…" A tear trickled from his eye. "I…just wished that I could have more time with everyone…" He coughed harshly. "Hey Ren…" Ren nodded. "You once said…that you do not fear death, don't you?" Ren nodded silently. "I've been thinking recently… If you in the underworld…then you have no business fearing death. I…know that. But…" He coughed harshly before turning to look at Shiki. "But… I'm scared, Shiki…" He admitted, sounding almost like a scared child. Tears were slowly falling from his eyes, flowing down his cheeks. "I…don't want to die…! I don't want to die!"

"We're right here." Shiki said, not knowing what to say to comfort him. What _can_ she say anyway? "We're right here, Sai." She repeated, taking his limp right hand in her grasp in order to give him some comfort.

"It's…all over." Sai breathed heavily, his right hand tightening around Shiki's hand. "It's over. This is it for me. At the very least… I got to see Yamato-nii for the last time. I knew…that I wouldn't be living to see the end of this war." He coughed harshly. "And I really wanted to see the kind of world that you would build too." He told Shiki. "Even now, I can…imagine it. A place with no discrimination. Where we can live as we please…"

Shiki choked back straggled sobs. "Damn it, Sai! Not you too!" she shouted. "I'm not some fucking repairman – there to pick up the pieces that you guys left for me! You and Hotaru and Mizuiro and Kankuro and Sasame! Why are you guys such fucking martyrs? I can't…" She hit the ground with her other fist. "I can't do this…! I can't do this without you guys! What is the point in building a new world if you guys aren't there too? I don't want a new world if I have to give my friends up to have it! Don't…leave me too, Sai… You guys…are all that I got left now…"

Sai managed a weak smile. "Don't go soft on me now. You still have a much more important job to do, don't you? Make your way to the end. Destroy the Demon God. You can't fail." He rasped weakly. "Ah… The sunset… I can see it… Do you both…remember? Back in Hagako… We always used to sit on the roof…of our base…and watch the sunset from there. I've…always loved it. The sunset. It's like…it's signalling a new…beginning. Hope. I'm glad…that I can see it again…for the last time."

Shiki wiped the tears away with the back of her right hand, trying to hold them back. "No. Please…" She had never felt so helpless before in her life. She couldn't do anything but just to hold Sai's hand as he slipped from this world to the next. _"Please."_ Shiki's vision was blurring because of the onslaught of her tears. _"Please,_ Sai…don't die."

Sai's continuous coughs had subsided by now, and Shiki wasn't sure if that was a bad or a good thing.

"Shiki… Ren…" Sai smiled weakly at them. "Am I…of some use…in the end?" He wanted to know. "My debt…is it repaid?"

Shiki nodded. "It has already been repaid a long time ago," she told Sai.

"That's…good…" Sai rasped. He then smiled as he turned towards Ren and Haku. "Ren, take care of Shiki." Ren nodded. "The rest…will be up to you…" His words were slurred by the crimson blood leaking from the ends of his lips. "Is this…Death?" He slurred. "Is Death is this peaceful…then I'm no longer afraid." He coughed slightly. "I wonder…what Hell is like? Bet…it's fun."

Ren's lower lip trembled with emotion. "…If you see the others down there, tell them… Tell them that when we see them in the next world, we can finally face them proudly and tell them, 'Our war finally ended'. That everything that we've been fighting for, and what they've given their lives for… It is finally over. We'll end this. I promise."

Sai smiled weakly and nodded. "Yeah… I'll tell them…" he whispered. "I'm…so tired… I'm so sleepy… I'd like to sleep now."

_No…_

Shiki bit on her lower lip, choking back the sob in her throat. "Then go to sleep," she said, forcing the words out, feeling like something had just stabbed her heart with every word. "Go to sleep then, Sai. I'll see you once you wake up. I'll be right here."

Sai smiled a small smile at Shiki. He said nothing. He didn't have to. At this point of time, words are no longer necessary. There was nothing but just silence for several moments, as Sai stared at something that they couldn't see, taking in several rasping breaths as he did so.

Ren, Shiki and Haku didn't look away; they couldn't afford to.

Then slowly, Sai's eyelids shut, the up-and-down breathing motions of his chest stilled completely as he stopped breathing. The fingers of Sai's hand grasping Shiki's hand fell away, as his hand went limp in her grasp.

_Shiki tugged firmly on the bandages bounding Sai's arm, resulting in a pained scream from the boy himself. "That freaking **hurts! **Are you trying to kill me?"_

"_Of course it hurts!" Shiki snapped back. "What am I going to do with you? Do you think that you're immortal or something to be **that **reckless? Even if you have nine lives like a cat, you're bound to use it all with how reckless that you are!"_

Shiki choked back a straggled sob.

Haku rubbed away at her tears before looking away. "Don't look away." Ren told her, and Haku looked surprised. Ren looked solemn. "Remember this. The only time when you can cry on the battlefield…is when it's all over."

**XXXXXX**

Haku watched as Sai's body slowly sank down to the bottom of the small shimmering pool in the Bijuu Shrine, watching as Sai looks almost as if he's asleep instead of being dead. The ice maiden then got to her feet, wiping away her tears as she looked up into the majestic statues of the Gods of Creation.

"I know that I'm not the most stout believer in you and the legends of the Bijuu Nine," she said. "I'd long stopped believing in you. I stopped believing and hoping. But this time… If it isn't too much, I want to call for a miracle. It's the only thing that I can do now." She looked up at the statue of the leader of the gods – the Kyuubi himself. "If you don't want to do this for me, at least for Shiki. She had never given up. She kept believing in you, despite everything. That's why… Just this once… Please… Bring Sai back!" She begged. "I'll deliver any price that I have to. I'll pay it. Just this once… Grant this wish."

Haku waited, but nothing happened. She then smiled sadly to herself. "I guess…that it is too much a wish, huh?" she murmured. She then looked at Sai's body in the pool. "Sorry Sai. Sorry Shiki." She whispered, before turning and leaving the shrine.

Not even a few moments after she had left, the nine stones set in the ground of the pool began to glow softly.

_I hear and deliver this wish._

In the pool, Sai's fingers twitched.


	44. An Old Friend

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Forty Four: An Old Friend**

It was early morning in the base camp, and the morning mist was just starting to lift. Thus, apart from the few people on guard duty, there aren't many people awake at all. And at the lake not too far away from the base camp, one can find Namikaze Shiki sitting at the side of it, staring at nothing in particular.

"Thought that you'd be here," said a soft voice just then, and Shiki turned slightly only to see Ren approaching her. "Every single time when you're feeling down, you always disappear like this to someplace where no one would think of searching. Back in Hagako, it is that sakura tree that we can always see on the rooftop. You hadn't changed, Shiki."

Shiki said nothing.

"Are you bothered?" Ren asked. "About Sai, Yamato, and the Demon God."

Shiki let out a small sigh. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't," she said. "The week is coming to a close. The Demon God will be making an appearance soon." She buried her face into her knees as she brought her legs up to her chest. "Hey Ren. Do you remember what I'd said before about Death?"

_We don't know what kind of people we truly are until the moment before our deaths. As death comes to embrace you, you will realise what you are. That's what death is, don't you think?_

Ren sighed. "Of course I do," he said. He looked at Shiki. "What brings this on all of a sudden?"

"If I tell you that I'm afraid to die, will you believe me?" Shiki asked, looking at Ren. She buried her face into her knees. "The truth is, I do not want to die… I do not want to die…!" She whispered. "Is that cowardly of me?"

Ren said nothing. "As long as you're human, you will fear death. That is the way of all things living. Who isn't afraid of Death?" he asked. "The closest that I ever came to staring at Death in the face was on that night back in Hagako. I was afraid then too. I thought for a moment that I was going to die. But I didn't. I said before that I do not fear Death. But when I faced Death in the face, it was then that I realised…like every human…that I indeed fear Death."

Shiki was about to say something when alarms went off immediately back at the base camp – the siren ringing of a specific type of alarms that Sumaru had set to go off only when they detected a certain presence.

Ren and Shiki exchanged looks. "He's here," said Ren solemnly. "At last."

Shiki nodded. "…The Demon God."

* * *

"Shino! Situation!" Shiki ordered even as she walked into the tent that was mainly used as the 'operations room'. In other words, this tent is mainly used to survey the perimeters that had been set up prior to the start of the war.

Ren followed Shiki in, with the both of them ignoring the fact that nearly all of Ragnarok, along with the former ANBUs were also present, all crowding around Shino who was tapping away on his laptop, looking up every now and then to survey the pictures shown on the screens in front of him. Shikamaru was next to Shino, tapping away on his own laptop.

"How does 'very bad news' sounds?" Shino asked wryly, and Shiki raised a brow. The insect user pointed to one of the screens in front of him that is currently blank and showing nothing but static. "The moment the alarms went off, the perimeter that we've set up near Mount Terror went blank immediately."

"The perimeters were specially made to resist all nin-abilities." Neji remarked, leaning over Shino's shoulder to look at his laptop. "Then that means…"

Shino nodded grimly. "He's here," he said. "About time. I'd half-expected him to be here on the fourth day actually. And he's doing nothing but staying near Mount Terror though, for some reason."

"And his army isn't moving as well." Sumaru stated. He then frowned. "No, to be exact, it's more like they've spread over all the areas that are bountiful with earth power – or nin-abilities. The places blessed by the Bijuu Nine, to be exact." He looked from face to face.

Shiki sighed. "He's gathering power. Enough power to combat the power of the Bijuu Nine." She looked at her friends. "During the Last Battle, the Bijuu Nine left behind protective power to protect this world from the Demon God. That's what he's doing now – gathering enough power to destroy that protection. And once he had gained enough power to do that, he'll head to one place to end it all. The place where everything had begun. And where everything will end."

"Where is it?" Kisame asked curiously.

Shiki said nothing for a very long time before she sighed. "The Shrine of Penitence. Also known as the Lost Cave – the place where he had been originally enshrined. That is where the Bijuu Nine were created. And also the one place where he can regain his old powers _and_ his immortality."

Everyone's faces paled instantly. If the Demon God ever gets there…

"We should go now!" Kiba said quickly.

"No. We have to make some preparations on our side too." Sumaru interrupted. "If we don't, we'll just be walking into a death trap. The enemy is a _god."_

"I'll get all the guys together. We'll be setting up the barriers. That can't stop him for long, but it will delay him." Neji stated, walking out of the tent, being followed by Hinata and Sumaru.

"Shino." Shiki sighed.

"Roger that. Perimeters at the Lost Cave, up and running." Shino responded immediately, his fingers flying over the keyboard of his laptop. "Level three containment spell and barrier. And coupled that with Neji's that he's going to set up, and we'll be able to repel _most _of the army. It can't stop those higher powered ones like the guy that Sai was fighting yesterday though." He added.

The tent fell silent at that.

Shiki sighed. "Tenten, can you put up a purifying fire barrier around the Lost Cave?" The redhead turned towards the weapons mistress who nodded and rushed out of the tent. "The rest of us will standby. Once we're ready, we're going."

"So it is really starting." Gaara sighed. "The boss is here."

Shiki glanced at the ANBUs. The Akatsuki looked fine – after all, all of them have been involved in high-risk missions before. The younger ANBUs on the other hand…

Shiki sighed. "I'm going to give you one very good piece of advice here," she said sternly, and everyone turned towards her. "The only people who should kill are those prepared to die themselves." Her eyes are like gimlets. "If you aren't prepared to die, stay the hell out of this."

"But this war…has been destroying our country." Lee mumbled. "It isn't right. People are dying. Even starving. Especially the little ones."

Ren gave out a short bark of scornful laughter, glaring at Lee with scornful dislike. "Well buddy, welcome to our world," he said, a tone of scorn and dislike in his voice. _"This_ is what we have to face and experience for nearly ten years after the end of the last stupid war that you motherfuckers waged just for the fun of it! If there is a real Hell, _this_ is it. And trust me, what you're seeing now isn't even _close_ to what _we_ have seen and done for the past decade." He hissed.

"Ren." Shiki interrupted Ren's tirade, and the dark haired teen snorted, looking at the ANBUs with scornful dislike.

The redhead knew that it is taking Ren a lot to just be civil to them. Like majority of the underworld, Ren isn't fond of the ANBU. She then turned towards the ANBU who flinched upon seeing her cold eyes, particularly Itachi. All of them knew that Shiki plain despises them – she made no effort to hide it from the very beginning. But this is the first time when they saw her true feelings being reflected in her eyes.

"We learned many things when we were in the underworld. Things that you would never learn when you're with the ANBU. How to survive. How to fight. How to _kill."_ Shiki's eyes are like cold pieces of ice. "If you want to survive, you forget about sympathy. If you sympathise with your enemy, you won't live long. In the underworld…we learn to never show our backs to the enemy. If you let doubt take over you, despair will cripple you. And Ren might just be right about this being true Hell. But I think that Hell is something that you carry around with you. Not somewhere you go. You make it what you deem it. Doubt and suspicion, extreme anger and hatred. They bring seeds of catastrophe to this world. That is war. And soon, you will see the cold ugly truth of war."

"And for the better or for the good, this war will change the world." Ren stated. "The world cannot be changed by pretty words alone. If it were that simple, there wouldn't be any wars, and we wouldn't be in the state that we now are in."

"The Demon God…" Itachi murmured.

Ren and Shiki exchanged looks. "When Sai had just left Ne, he told us something once," said Shiki at last. "He is never one for long words. Thus, at that time, we were surprised at what he'd said…"

"_Sometimes, fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction, but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over, you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn't something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. **This storm is you.** Something inside of you. So all you can do is give in to it. Step right inside the storm."_

"And that is what humans are." Shiki stated. "We can't run from it. I believe that our fate is what we make it. Not something that some higher power decides. If you're going to just blame your life on something else, then you're better off dead. You only live when you live for something…fight for something. If you can't live for something, at the very least, die for something."

Before anyone can say anything to that, Sumaru poked his head in through the flap of the tent, frowning slightly at the sudden tense atmosphere. He shook his head, and turned to face Shiki. "We're done here. We can move out once Neji and Tenten have done their parts. And Shino as well."

Shiki sighed. "Very well. We're moving under the cover of night."

**XXXXXX**

_Slash!_

Kisame panted as he cut down another undead. "Aren't they more aggressive than before?" he demanded, spinning around and cutting down another undead that is coming up behind him. "I don't remember them being this hard to kill or being this aggressive before!"

"Well, what do you expect? Their boss is back!" Temari, who wasn't too far away stated, annoyed, sending out wind blast after wind blast. "Damn it…" She panted, sweat pouring down her face. "I'm soon at my limit…"

Not too far away, Gaara scowled fiercely, enclosing about three undead in his Desert Coffin and tearing them apart easily. "Hey Sumaru, what is going on?" The redhead demanded, two fingers on the communicator in his ear. "The numbers are more than expected!" He tapped onto his communicator before turning towards his sister. "No good. The communications are down. Properly due to the high power and the barriers surrounding the areas. We can only depend on ourselves with no backup from this point."

"And what the hell is Namikaze doing?" Kiba demanded not too far away.

"Don't worry about her." Tenten snapped. "She knows the plan." She glanced upwards at the dark skies. "Looks like we're going to be fighting all night long, guys." She wiped the sweat from her brow. "I hope that you're ready."

**XXXXXX**

_At that time, none of us realised just what it truly meant to fight the Demon God. What it really meant to go up against a **god.** Come to think of it, isn't it ridiculous in the first place? Mere humans defying a god? _

_The fifth day… The day when the Demon God appeared at last marks the true start of the war. The enemies that appeared seemed more aggressive and difficult to kill, as compared to the previous days. _

_Many people died._

_Too many, in fact._

_To the point when even Shiki started to wonder if she's even doing the right thing. But still, this is war. Something that we've all been preparing for years. And it's not just a normal war. It's a battle. A battle for our world._

_A battle that we've all been preparing for nearly eight years._

_All of us lost many things during that battle. The scars were just too deep for us. I thought that I knew the reality of the world. I thought that I know how cruel that this world could be. But what I'd both seen and experienced during that war… It gives me a whole new definition of the word 'pain'._

_I wonder… If Shiki went through that during her time in Hagako. She never said anything about her past, but we knew enough to know that it isn't an easy time for her. Even Sumaru had said as much. And Shiki isn't just a normal nin-user. She's one of the top class ones. And the only one who could manage to slip under the ANBU's radar like that for years._

_She spent years surviving in the underworld, relying on no one but herself. And now, that survival instinct had been put to good use. She taught us all how to survive. No one said anything, but we all knew. We all knew that there is a price to pay for every war waged._

_But none of us realised just how high that price is._

_None of us realised just what it means to fight the Demon God himself…_

**XXXXXX**

Shiki could have sworn that she's hallucinating as she stared at the guy standing across her and Ren. It is night after all, and she had been pretty much fighting for an entire day. Perhaps she's too tired or something?

But the shocked look on Ren's face who is standing beside her told her that she's definitely _not_ imagining it.

"Hey Ren, is that…?" Shiki trailed off slowly uneasily, not taking her eyes off of the emotionless looking orange haired guy standing across them.

Ren shook his head. "No…! No… It can't be!" he snarled in anger. "He's dead… He's dead…! He _died_ ten years ago!" He balled his hands into fists by his sides. "Don't fuck around with me… How dare you use his face?" He snarled at the orange haired soldier of the Demon God's army. "How dare you use that face and show up in front of me? You're not him… You have his face, but you don't have his soul! That body is not yours to use! How dare you use Yahiko's body?"

Shiki closed her eyes briefly before opening them again, turning to face 'Yahiko'. The _real_ Yahiko had been Blade's unofficial 'guardian' of sorts when they were growing up in Hagako. He had helped to protect them during a time when they're defenceless. The only reason why any of them are still alive today is because of him. But like most people back then during the chaotic period of the civil war, Shimizu Yahiko had died young – about ten years ago. On the same night when nearly half of Blade had perished.

Shiki clenched her hands into fists. "Yahiko…"

* * *

Meanwhile with Sumaru, he almost got a heart attack when he overheard the conversation over on Ren and Shiki's end. As it is, he almost dropped the daggers that he was using, and if it weren't for Nagato who happened to be standing near him, he would have been dead.

"Keep your eyes on the enemy!" Nagato snapped, annoyed. "Where are you looking anyway?"

Sumaru ignored him, pressing two fingers to the communicator in his ear. The area that he was at, along with just a few, happened to be one of the few areas where the communicators _could_ work.

"Ren! Shiki! Can you hear me?" Sumaru asked urgently, pressing two fingers to the communicator in his ear, and kicking one of the undead away from him, kicking it towards Nagato's direction. "What did you just say? What is going on over there?"

There was no reply from either one of his friends, but from the sounds of things, there is a battle going on over on their side. And from the sounds of things, it seems to be a pretty heated one. And if Ren and Shiki are involved, and it's those two that are getting serious, then their opponent is not a normal guy.

Even back in their days with Blade, one rarely sees either Ren _or_ Shiki gets serious. They're two of the best fighters that Sumaru had ever seen, even with Shiki fighting _without_ her powers. In fact, that girl doesn't really need it in the first place. Like Ren, she had a head for tactics and battle plans, and mainly relies on her mind in battles. And like most of them, Shiki grew up on the streets, doing anything possible in order to survive this long. When you'd lived like that, you're bound to grow more street wary, and develop skills that are necessary for your survival.

"_Ren! Your left!"_

There was a clang of metal on metal, and a grunt of pain.

"_Ren!"_

"_I'm okay, Shiki! Keep focused! That's not Yahiko! You know that!"_

Static filled the communicator just then.

But that short conversation was more than enough for Sumaru. His eyes went wide and he turned pale. "D-Did they just say 'Yahiko'?" he almost whispered. He didn't notice Nagato's eyes growing wide at his words. "It can't be…"

Sumaru immediately took off; with Nagato following close at his heels a split second later.

* * *

Sumaru actually has to grab Haku on the way, as she's the only one available with tracking abilities who can find Shiki and Ren right now, seeing as how Temari is now all the way on the other end of the battlefield, and Yugito is nowhere to be found.

Enough said.

The Baled leader had actually noticed Nagato following him right from the very beginning, but he said nothing about it, as it isn't like he had the time to bother with the guy. And not to mention that they're currently in the middle of a war right now. And like what both Ren and Shiki have said before – they'll call for a temporary cease-fire, and a temporary truce. They need to combine their forces to combat the Demon God and his army. If they don't find a way to force the Demon God's army back and to kill him, then they might as well just hand their world on a silver platter over to the Demon God.

Either way, if everything fails, then they'll just be going a few days earlier than the rest of the world.

"What the…?" Haku who was leading both Sumaru and Nagato both towards where she'd pinpointed Ren and Shiki's locations stopped in her tracks all of a sudden, two fingers on her communicator. "Communications are back up! Gaara? Temari? Can you hear me? Hinata? Shino?"

"_Yeah, I hear you!"_ Gaara stated from his side. _"What's going on?"_

"What's the situation?" Sumaru asked.

"_The Demon God's army is retreating."_ Hinata who is in charge of the 'Control Room' alongside Shino for the last two days of the war responded. She then muttered something. _"We really need to find a better term to address them than 'the Demon God's army' or 'the undead army'."_ She then cleared her throat. _"The battles are tough, but nothing that we can't handle. And for some reason, all the perimeters are back up."_

"Huh?"

All three present had a good reason to be confused. During the start of the battle that day, all the perimeters at the battlefields that they were at were down due to the Demon God's power. The Demon God's power is so vast that all electronics would be down, thus, even their communicators were down. If the perimeters were back up, then that means…

"The Demon God is retreating as well." Haku stated slowly. "Why?"

"_I have no idea, but we have a major power reading near the northern side."_ Shino responded. _"Power levels are peaking."_

"Northern side?" Nagato asked, confused. "That's where we're heading towards, aren't we?"

Haku nodded. "We're heading towards there. From what I know, Shiki and Ren are over there. And they seemed to be in a pretty heated battle. By the looks of things, their opponent is no small fry, if it's the both of them getting serious."

"_The others are heading there too."_ Hinata told her. _"The Demon God's army is retreating. But the power levels at the northern side are rising. And I hadn't been able to get into contact with Ren and Shiki at all. You are the closest to them right now. Assist them."_

"If I can." Haku told Hinata. "I'm not insane enough to interfere in a high paced battle between top class fighters like them. We have no place in a high paced battle once Ren and Shiki gets serious."

When top class fighters of Ren and Shiki's calibre get serious, anyone below their level has no place in their fight. They would only hinder them, rather than assist them. Thus, Ragnarok and Baled knew by now that whenever their leaders get involved in a serious fight, they have no place to interfere. Not unless they want to die.

"All right. We're going." Sumaru told Hinata and Shino, also informing the two others with him at the same time. "I'm getting worried. I have a bad feeling about this…" He bit on his lower lip. _'I'm sure that Shiki and Ren said 'Yahiko' at that time. But… Yahiko-san is dead. He died ten years ago!' _Sumaru bit on his lower lip uneasily.

The death of their 'protector' or 'guardian' had been hard on all the members of Blade at that time, Shiki especially. Especially since Shimizu Yahiko had been her godfather's last living student. The orange haired man had been tasked by Jiraiya to watch over Shiki and her friends in Hagako. He had taught them how to hunt, how to fight, how to plan, how to _survive._ Really, does one really think that young kids of eight or even younger at that time can learn how to kill and how to fight by themselves, even if the majority of them have lived on the streets? No. It had been Yahiko who had taught them. He merely gave them the tools needed to help them to stay alive.

He had been…Blade's protector.

All of Blade were fond of the orange haired man, looking up to him as some sort of older brother. Thus, his death had been hard on all of them. It wasn't even a year later after his death when there had been an attack on the street gang Blade, and more than half of the gang perished. And even now, the survivors were reluctant to talk about their friends, even their guardian.

Sumaru was worried.

Is this like the time with Sai? Did the Demon God resurrect Yahiko? If so, it isn't good. Undead or not, the Demon God's soldier or not, that body is still the original's. And that means it knows all of the original's skills. Having the face is bad enough. If he possesses Yahiko's skills too, it's going to be psychologically hard on both Ren and Shiki who were the closest to Yahiko during their gang days.

But at this point of time, it is only the both of them who could even hope to beat Yahiko now.

Ten years is a long time. More than enough time for them both to polish their skills. They didn't survive this long by themselves for nothing. Ragnarok didn't gain the reputation that they have for nothing either.

But still, Ren and Shiki are both still only human. They have feelings too. And all humans have breaking points. Will fighting Yahiko be the breaking point for them both?

"Let's go." Sumaru ordered. "I got a bad feeling about this… We'd better get to where Ren and Shiki are as soon as possible…"

* * *

Sumaru, Nagato and Haku reached the place where Ren and Shiki are at the same time as Shikamaru, Sasuke, Itachi, Kisame, Konan, Kiba and Neji. The sun was actually just rising as the two groups arrived together. They exchanged looks with each other before turning their attention towards the fight currently going on in front of them.

Both Ren and Shiki have tears in their clothes, with blades being grasped in their hands. They looked tired as well, but their eyes were still determined as they glared at the orange haired man that they're fighting. A man that Sumaru felt a pang in his heart upon laying eyes on him.

The leader of Baled bit on his lower lip and turned his face away, his shoulders trembling slightly. It almost feels like their 'big brother' is back all over again. _'Yahiko-san…'_

"Who is that man that they're fighting?" Kiba asked, confused.

Nagato's lips trembled, and Konan's eyes were full of emotion as well as they both stared at the orange haired man. "…Shimizu Yahiko." Konan answered. "He lived in the same village as us when we were little before the war had destroyed it, and he then vanished. I'd heard that he died about ten years ago, but…"

"He had also been the one to teach us how to fight." Sumaru stated. "He had been Blade's protector. To think that he'll be back as our enemy. Isn't this ironic? First Yamato. Now Yahiko-san. Members of this country's most feared and most dangerous street gang back as part of the Demon God's army. Is this some kind of joke?" He laughed bitterly.

The others exchanged looks silently. They're not part of Blade, thus, they could only be outsiders looking in. But to imagine that people who they'd once called friends, and maybe even family becoming their enemies, and becoming someone whom they must fight to the death, or die trying… It's not a pleasant feeling.

They can't understand Sumaru's feelings. Or even Shiki. Or even Ren. But they know that their days as Blade is something that can't be forgotten, as it is a part of them that is so deeply ingrained that it will forever be part of who they are.

And to have that past catching up to them now…

"Shouldn't we help them?" Sasuke asked at last. "That guy doesn't seem to be your normal guy."

"No. We will only be a hindrance to them right now," said Itachi, shaking his head.

"What? Uchiha, you can tell too?" Neji glanced at Itachi out of the corner of his eye, ignoring the fact that Itachi is giving him the evil eye for underestimating his skills. "And as much as it pains me to agree with him—" Itachi twitched. "—he's right. Ren and Shiki both are now fighting at a level that is way above what we're capable of. We would only hinder them if we interfere. Besides, this is their battle. Their fight. If that guy is part of Blade once upon a time, then it's their responsibility. They wouldn't want us to interfere. This…is how the street gangs works." He looked from face to face. "What happens within the street gangs…remains within the street gangs. Even though Blade is no more, their members are still alive. This is not our battle."

"What we could do now is to just believe in them." Sumaru added. "Back during our time with Blade, it had been Ren and Shiki who knew Yahiko-san the best and vice versa. After all, he had been Jiraiya-sama's last surviving student. He taught Sai everything he knew about espionage and hacking, and even information gathering. If it is anyone who could beat Yahiko-san…it'll be the two of them."

There was silence.

"Sumaru, in your opinion, who do you think can win?" Shikamaru asked after a long while.

Sumaru sighed. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Ren and Shiki are both strong in their own rights. And so is Yahiko-san from ten years ago. And when both Ren and Shiki tag team…" He trailed off slowly. "I hadn't seen anyone beat them yet when they work together." He admitted.

Itachi turned his attention towards Ren and Shiki who were both engaged in a battle with the Yahiko guy. Their movements reminds him more of a dance, as they're just so synchronised with each other. When Ren attacks, he will move out of the way immediately, thus creating an opening for Shiki. One favours power whilst the other favours speed. They're just so in tune together with each other. And this is really the first time when Itachi had seen two of Blade's best fight seriously.

And if this is them starting to get serious, he can see just why the ANBU back then made it a rule to never walk into Hagako, and if they absolutely have to, they never send less than three people in there. Most ANBUs who walk in there rarely returns alive, if at all.

"Incredible…" Kiba whispered, entranced by the battle in front of his eyes. "I can see why they're legends in the underworld."

"But they have to end this soon." Kisame noted. "They're getting tired. And considering the fact that they've been fighting since dawn…yesterday—" He added, glancing at the early morning sun. "—I'm not surprised. But in the case of that orange haired guy, he doesn't tire, as is the case of the Demon God's army."

The others exchanged grim looks. One advantage that the Demon God's soldiers have over them is the fact that they don't tire, and injuries don't bother them in the least. To 'kill' them, you have to aim for the head or the heart.

Over with Ren and Shiki, the redhead obviously has the same thought in mind too. She quickly leapt backwards, neatly stepping out of the way of Yahiko's sword wipe. No matter what she told herself, and no matter what logic is telling her, her instincts were instead screaming at her that it is indeed Yahiko.

"Ren!" Shiki called out to the dark haired teen.

Ren caught Shiki's eye before he nodded. The teen grasped the sword in his hand tightly before flinging it straight towards Yahiko even as he ran towards the man. Yahiko merely deflected the incoming blade with the back of his hand, ignoring the fact that the sword caused a wound on the back of his hand that healed instantly.

It caused just a moment of distraction. A moment that is all that Ren needed.

The dark haired teen moved quickly, twisting Yahiko's left wrist hard enough to twist the bones in his hand. A normal human would be screaming in pain by now, but as it is, Yahiko isn't exactly human right now. Ren quickly draw out a short blade from the back of his waist, bringing it up to parry Yahiko's blade before he could cut off his head.

Both males were locked in a stalemate as Ren met Yahiko's stone gaze with his own glare. The dark haired teen felt a pang in his heart as he met that empty gaze. This isn't right. Such a look shouldn't belong on Yahiko's face. Even right to the end of his life, Yahiko had always been expressive. He is always smiling that gentle smile of his, even right to the end when he'd lost his life defending them.

Even as he lay dying, he merely smiled that knowing smile of his, whispering to Ren to 'carry on for me. Because you are the proof that I'd ever existed'.

"You can't beat me." 'Yahiko' said emotionlessly.

"I know. I can't beat you by myself. I know that better than anyone else." Ren hissed. "How many times have I sparred with you back in Hagako? And how many times have you left me on my back on the ground? I can't beat you. Not alone, I can't. But I'm not alone this time. And this time, I can't afford to lose to you! I _don't want_ to lose to you!"

Ren grasped another hidden blade out of the sleeve of his right arm, pushing both of Yahiko's arms backwards even as Shiki used Ren's back as a stepping stone to leap into the air, a blade grasped in her left hand, the early morning rays of the sun just bouncing off the steel of the weapon.

"Cooperation technique." Itachi murmured all of a sudden. "I've heard about it, but it's the first time I'm seeing it. It only works if two people knew each other so well that it is almost like they could read each other's minds, and if they trust each other one hundred percent."

"It's the end, Yahiko!" Ren proclaimed even as he propelled himself backwards, feet skidding backwards on the ground.

"Don't you dare use that face in front of me! You don't deserve his name!" Shiki shouted, raising the sword above her head, grasping the hilt with both hands even as she descended down to the ground, driving the blade deep into Yahiko's chest, with it protruding out on the other side of his body.

For a long moment, all was silent before Shiki stepped backwards, sliding the sword out of Yahiko's body, and the orange haired man stumbled on his feet before falling to the ground, motionless.

Sumaru sighed. "It's over," he stated, walking over to where Ren and Shiki were, hunched over on their knees, panting. The others followed him. "It's been awhile since I've seen you both tag team someone. It's as impressive as always. It's difficult to believe that it's been nearly ten years since you both fought together."

"Yeah." Ren panted. "We…won."

Nagato looked over at Yahiko's motionless body. "He was at Hagako, wasn't he? All those years when he went missing," he said softly. The three Blade survivors looked at him sharply. "Don't look like that. I knew Yahiko when I was a kid. So did Konan." Konan nodded. "We grew up in the same village before the war broke out. We…were childhood friends."

"Did Yahiko not tell you before?" Konan asked, and all three shook their heads.

"We have an unspoken rule there that we do not speak about our past, nor do we ask anyone about theirs." Ren answered. "Especially in a place like Hagako. Everyone has something that they wished to forget there."

"Ah. That explains it then." Nagato sighed. "I'd heard that he'd died about ten years ago. Yahiko, me, Konan and Ein… We grew up in the same village before the war. When the war broke out, our village was one of the first ones that were attacked. All of us were separated because of it. It wasn't until after Ein had passed away when I'd found Konan. And that is only because she was sent to recruit me for the ANBU."

"We tried to find Yahiko after we both entered the ANBU." Konan told the three Blade survivors. "It wasn't until a few years later when we found out that he'd died. An informant that had been helping us to locate him gave us a letter that was written by Yahiko." She closed her eyes briefly. _"'Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile tiny shells, drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home'."_ She whispered.

"Yahiko-san used to hum that line a lot." Sumaru muttered. "We never knew what it meant."

There was a harsh cough just then, and everyone turned their attention towards Yahiko. Shiki was the only one who noticed that Yahiko's eyes were clear and bright, if not a little glazed over. It was a look that she knew all too well.

"…Yahiko…" Shiki whispered, making her way towards Yahiko's side. Ren and Sumaru followed suit, being before followed by Nagato and Konan. The others respected their wish to be near their old friend by keeping a distance away.

Yahiko coughed harshly. "I…disappeared from this world…as if withering at long last…" he rasped.

"Have you awakened, Yahiko?" Ren asked.

Yahiko coughed. "…Yeah… It is…such a long time…" he whispered. "Feels like…I've been sleeping for a long time…" He coughed. "The last thing…that I remembered was of…that night. And when I'd woken up… I can't control my movements at all… It is like…I'm trapped in my own body, having to watch as my own body attack the ones I'd called friends…and maybe even family…"

"It's not your fault!" Sumaru insisted. "It's the Demon God!"

Yahiko smiled weakly at them, coughing. Shiki who was grasping his hand gasped as she felt his hand starting to turn grainy. "Y-Yahiko?"

"What is this?" Kiba demanded. "Is he…crumbling into dust?"

"I'm…not really alive right now…" Yahiko rasped. "I'm already dead… However long ago that is… The moment we break free of the mind control on us…we will disappear. But however short it is…I'm glad to be able to see you one more time… I'd always worried about you… But…I'm glad to see you looking well… You both…fought well…" Yahiko smiled at Ren and Shiki. "Looks like…I no longer have to worry about you both anymore…"

"This isn't fair! Why Yahiko?" Ren demanded.

"We…can't defy the laws of nature… Such is life…" Yahiko whispered. He coughed harshly. "I…committed the worst…possible sin that I could ever commit… I…raised my hand against…you…" He coughed. "Shiki… Please… Would you let me see your face a little better…?" Shiki moved closer to him. "Jiraiya-sama…left your care to me… But that isn't the whole reason why I looked over you and your friends… The other reason…is your mother…"

Shiki's eyes widened. "My mother?"

Yahiko coughed harshly, nodding. "I met her…and your father during the war… She was a kind woman… Even in my village…life isn't easy. She helped me… Taught me to believe… Taught me to love again… Probably…she's the only woman…whom I'd ever loved… That's why… When she died, I started looking for her daughter… And when Jiraiya-sama told me that he needs someone to look after you – after _her_ daughter, I agreed immediately. It's the least that I could do…to look after the child of the only woman whom I'd ever loved…" He coughed harshly. "You are…her spitting image." He whispered, raising one shaking hand to cup Shiki's face. "If I could have had a child with her… Surely… It would have been…a child like you…" He smiled. "Carry on for me…" He whispered. "Because…you three are the proof…that I'd existed…"

His body then crumpled to dust.

"Yahiko!" Nagato shouted.

"Yahiko-san!"

_Our child… Mine…and that person's…_

Shiki closed her eyes briefly, her shoulders trembling with emotion. Haku covered her mouth to prevent sobs from breaking out.

_Leaves from the vine,  
__Falling so slow  
__Like fragile tiny shells,  
__Drifting in the foam_

_Little soldier boy  
__Come marching home  
__Brave soldier boy  
__Come marching home_

**XXXXXX**

"Is fighting really the answer to end this?" Shiki asked Sumaru and Ren that night at the lake, with the full moon shining down on them, bathing them in its moonlight. "People live their lives bound by what they define as truth and fiction. That's how they define reality. I thought I knew that. And I thought that I understood what this war is going to cost me. But it's easier said than done…" She bit on her bottom lip. "Was the road that we chose the right one? I don't know."

Neither one of the two said anything for a long time. "We'd never regretted following you," said Sumaru at last. "And do you remember what Jiraiya-sama and even Yahiko-san had said once? 'Follow the road that you believe in. And once you'd picked that path, follow it to the end without looking back. Leave behind no regrets'. All of us are adults, Shiki. We knew what we're getting ourselves into. Whatever consequences there are with this choice, it's ours to bear, not yours."

"He's right," said Ren with a nod. "And it's only going to get worse from now on. Because tomorrow…" He trailed off.

Shiki sighed. "Yeah. Once the sun rises, it's going to be the last day of the battle – Day Seven. The Demon God will appear without fail tomorrow. And there is only one place where he will go to once he does."

All three exchanged looks. _"The Lost Cave."_ They echoed as one.

Ren sighed. "Tomorrow," he stated. "Everything will be decided tomorrow."

Shiki nodded in agreement. "And for the better or for the worse, it will all end tomorrow," she stated. "Tomorrow… The Final Battle."


	45. Ragnarok

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Forty Five: Ragnarok**

The air of oppression is obvious to _everyone,_ even the non nin-users.

It is difficult to describe it, but it is like _something_ is weighing them down, trying to prevent them from walking freely. And there is just something screaming at them to just hide away until everything is over. Hence, even the wildlife couldn't be seen anywhere. Even the birds that could normally be seen at all hours of the day were missing all of a sudden.

Thus, Ragnarok, Sumaru and even the remnants of the ANBU (or former ANBUs) could all be found in a tent at their base camp at three o'clock in the morning, all surrounding a map of some sort as they go over their battle plan for the next day, or rather, a few hours from now.

Sasuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Let's face it. We may well be walking into certain doom," he stated.

"Yes, but we have no choice." Ren sighed. "We have only one chance to stop him or die trying. If we fail here, then we might as well just hand over our world on a silver platter to him. And if we die trying, well…" He shrugged. "Then we are just going a few days earlier than the rest of the world."

"At least Isaribi and the others managed to evacuate most of the civilians to the underground shelters." Haku spoke up. "The only ones that still remained are the more stubborn ones who refused to believe what they're saying, and claimed that the Demon God is a god that is here to rid the world of sin." She has a scornful sneer on her face as she said that. "How can anyone be as _stupid _as to believe that?"

"Well technically, they aren't wrong." Temari told Haku. "It's just that the Demon God's way of 'cleansing' means 'to eliminate'."

"Okay. Onto other business." Shiki sighed, looking from face to face as she looked at the map that they were all surrounding on the table, an oil lamp on the table next to the map to give them some light. "Did anyone withdraw out of the battle?" She asked, looking at Neji and Sumaru.

They both shook their heads. "No. No one did." Sumaru told Shiki. "I wasn't really expecting for anyone to do so. They're no cowards. All of them knew what they're getting themselves into when they first joined the battle."

"I'm surprised." Lee commented. "In the ANBU, whenever there is a battle, we'll at least get one person chickening out before a battle."

Ren's eye twitched dangerously, and he looked as if he is about to throw the pen that he is holding at Lee's head. "Don't compare us to you ANBU cowards," he growled menacingly, and Shiki gave Ren a warning look. "There is not one person here in this camp who is a coward and would rather abandon ship to save his own skin."

"We aren't cowards!" Kiba shot back, getting quite enough of Ren and his cutting remarks. Sure, he understood why Ren is doing it, but it isn't exactly easy to hear it. "We'll gladly die for our own country!"

"Did I call you cowards?" Ren shot back. "And there is quite a difference between dying like a fool and dying because you're doing the right thing. Being alive is a luxury in itself. If you have ever lost anyone important to you, then you already know how it feels. And if you haven't, then you cannot possibly imagine it."

"Look, enough is enough already!" Shikamaru lost his temper. "I get it. I know that what we've done cannot be forgiven, but we're trying to make amends, and had even went as far as leaving our friends and being branded as traitors to do it. Isn't that enough?"

"Not. Quite." Ren hissed. By now, everyone was looking from Ren to Rendoku and back again like they were watching a tennis rally. "You think you've done enough? I don't think so. You think you're special? Well, you're not. Everyone's the same inside. Everyone lies. Everyone hides things. No one makes it through this life being completely honest."

Everyone watched with wide eyes as Ren got to his feet, his eyes blazing with anger, dark blue eyes like cold pieces of burning ice in his head as he glared at Rendoku. Sasuke and Shiki exchanged looks, and both shrugged. It might be better for all parties involved to just let them get this out of their system.

"You think you're a bunch of heroes for killing the nin-users. Let me tell you this, you're nothing more than murderers! Ragnarok might be killers, but they're not murderers. And yet you ANBU, you carry it in your pack like the plague. With you and your accursed organisation, it's always just one thing or the other: you either destroy the enemy or you destroy yourself. This is just a game to you. And for what purpose? How to die like a human being, how to die by the rules – when the only important thing here is how to live like a human being."

"Okay. Enough." Shiki stepped in just then, placing a hand warningly on Ren's arm. "Ren, you've said your piece. Enough is enough. Now is not the time to fight amongst ourselves. So let's leave it as that. Okay?" She looked at Rendoku who looked as if they would like to say more, but Sasuke glared at them, daring them to say another word. "Anyway, let's just—"

No one knew what Shiki is about to say, as a loud explosion rocked the place, with the alarms going off immediately, and Ragnarok looked at each other. Shiki looked worried before exchanging looks with Ren and nodded.

"Shiki?" Hinata asked.

"He's here." Shiki told them, and everyone looked tense. "Hinata. Shino. Locator!"

"On it. On it." Shino mumbled, his fingers flying across the keyboard on his laptop for several moments. "The highest power source reading is near Lake Kagami." He shut his laptop. Unlike the past week, this time, both Hinata and Shino will be heading with the main assault team.

"Lake Kagami, huh?" Yugito mused, pulling on her gloves and tightening it around her hands. "So this is it."

Shiki nodded. "Let's go."

**XXXXXX**

_We got there a step too late, as the Demon God was already in the Lost Cave when we got there, with hundreds, if not thousands of his undead legions waiting for us just outside it. When we'd arrived there and saw that waiting for us, all of knew instantly that not all of us could go in to deal with the Demon God._

_Only the strongest amongst us could enter and handle the dark god, whilst the rest of us have to hold his army back. Even the underground shelters of the civilians won't hold if the Demon God's army decides to attack._

_It wasn't a hard decision to make._

_Maybe, in our hearts, all of us knew just who is going in to face the Demon God in the end._

_Day 7 is the Final Battle. _

_It is the battle of all battles._

_And once it had ended, all of us knew, for the better or for the worse, that battle will change the world._

**XXXXXX**

"This is crazy!" Itachi protested, being the first one to object when Shiki had made that 'suggestion'. "Just two of you against the _Demon God?_ There's no way you'll survive."

"All of us know that we might not come out alive, if at all, when we'd chosen to fight against the Demon God and his army, and when we got ourselves involved in the battle against the Demon God." Shiki told him coolly, not feeling disturbed in the least by his outburst, talking about her own death like she's talking about the weather.

"Are you guys going to just let this stand?" Itachi demanded, turning towards Ragnarok.

Haku shrugged, readying her weapons. "It's Shiki. She always has a plan," she responded. "Besides, if Shiki and Ren are together, there's no way that they'll lose."

"Yes, against a _human_ opponent, they might not. But against a _god?"_ Itachi demanded. "Aren't you concerned in the least?"

"Why are _you_ so concerned anyway?" Sumaru got irritated. "Worry about yourself for a change!" He nodded to Shiki and Ren. "We trust in you. Do what you have to do. Leave his army to us."

"Thanks." Ren patted Sumaru's shoulder before taking off after Shiki who is heading towards the direction of the Lost Cave.

"Why are you guys doing this? This is suicidal!" Itachi demanded, turning towards Ragnarok.

"Itachi, cool it!" Kisame hissed. "There's no point getting so upset! They made their decision. We have to respect it."

Itachi brushed Kisame's hand off his shoulder. "There is no guarantee whatsoever that you will even return alive!" he hissed.

"Then what else do you want us to do?" Gaara snapped, and everyone turned towards the normally impassive teen who is now glaring daggers at Itachi. "Right from the start, even years before we knew about the Demon God, we already knew that probably, someday, we would die in battle. Everyone dies someday. It makes no difference to us how we go. It is _how_ we die that will matter. If you can't live for something, at the very least, die for something."

"You ANBUs won't understand this." Haku told them. "It is only if you'd lived the way that we did that you could understand. It is only in pain that we can find the true meaning of life. We've come too far to stop now. Furthermore, if something is worth fighting for, then it's worth dying for." She muttered. "Shiki taught us that."

"Shiki once told me something." Sumaru told Itachi, seeing the Uchiha about to open his mouth to argue. "When you are in danger of becoming nothing, you fight for everything." He recited. "I've lived in the underground my entire life, and I see many things. The light can easily turn people into cowards. It's too easy, living in the light. Thus, from time to time, a life in darkness can give you courage." He looked from face to face. "You've lived too long in the light. Thus why you can't open your eyes. But we've lived in the darkness for a long time." He gestured towards himself and Ragnarok. "We've all been fighting for a long time. Now… It's time to put this to an end."

"Furthermore, this is our fight." Hinata told them. "We're in it until the end. Until the _very_ end. Fate has a way of changing when you don't want it to after all."

"This is crazy!" Nagato protested. "They're facing a god! The same one that has been terrorising our country for who knows how long! There's no way that they'll survive!"

"Shiki and Ren have a long history of beating the odds." Yugito grunted. "Ren said something once to us. 'Hell is something you carry around with you. Not somewhere you go'. If that's true, then they'll bring that Hell to the enemy."

"This will be the last battle." Temari added. "The last one for all of us. Our time as Ragnarok will soon come to an end. If we have to go, at least let us go the way we want to."

"I don't understand. Why are all of you so reckless?" Lee demanded. "Do you really want to die that badly?"

"You can't understand because you're not us." Haku wasn't in the least bit disturbed by Lee's words. "But fighting is all that we know. It is really all that we know." She admitted. "And if this is what Shiki desires, then we will be her support." Haku declared. "She saved us from a life of hell. This is the least that we could do to repay her. We only know how to fight. We continue to fight even if the world burns. Even when we know survival is not an option. We will still continue to fight. This might be our last battle, but it will be one that the enemy will never forget. That the world will never forget. We fight for what we believe in. This battle…will change the world."

"During our time as Blade, Shiki, Ren and myself have already lost too many of our friends to the cruelness and reality of the world." Sumaru added. "And even after that, we lost lots more to war, fear and even the prejudice of the people. All of them died, for the sake of our survival, the survival of their beliefs, dreams and wishes, and most importantly, they died for the survival of their hope. That same hope is what helped them to win. Just like now. You might call us fools. And you might be right. But it's better to be a fool, than to live your life knowing nothing at all."

_Fight to your last breath…to fight until every drop of blood has been spilled. If this is to be the last stand, then let us make them remember this day. That this is the day when we will fight to the last man. This day will be remembered for all times. People will look back on this day and say, 'This is where we fight'._

"But—"

"Stop." Sasuke sighed. "Just let them do as they wish." He ignored the protests that came his way. "Besides, this is what she has to do." He looked at his shocked brother in the eye as he said so. "I _promised _her this."

* * *

"_Can you do this for me?" Shiki asked a stunned Sasuke who seemed incapable of speech temporarily._

_Sasuke opened and closed his mouth for several moments before he sighed, running a hand through his hair, looking back at Shiki. "It's too cruel," he said._

"_I know." Shiki sighed. "But in order to protect them, I will be as cruel as I can. I pulled them into this. The least that I could do is to make sure that they make out of this alive."_

_Sasuke sighed, pinching his nose to ease his headache. "What are the chances?" he asked. "Tell me. What are the chances of you actually facing the Demon God in battle?"_

"_Pretty high." Shiki admitted. "No matter how I try to look at this, the Demon God will return. We will end up facing him in battle."_

_Sasuke sighed. How is he going to explain this once the time comes? "Why must this happen?"_

"_I don't know." Shiki admitted. "If I knew the answers to a lot of questions that I want answered, then we wouldn't be in this state now, would we?"_

_Sasuke sighed. "…All right. I'll do what I can once the time comes." Shiki nodded to him in gratitude. "I got one question though." He looked at Shiki. "Did you ever love my brother?" He wanted to know. "Just…tell me that. Nothing else even matters anymore."_

_Shiki was silent. "…I don't know," she admitted. "Probably, once upon a time, I did. But feelings can change. And mine did." She looked at Sasuke. "I'm sorry about this. But I made my choice. I do not regret this."_

_Sasuke said nothing for several moments. "…Are you sure about this?" he asked her. The price that she has to pay…is a little too high. It's just…not fair. "If you go through with this, it will be too late for regrets."_

_Shiki shook her head. "I've lived a fulfilling life. I might have helped lots of people, but at the same time, I've also harmed many more. In the end, I'm still a killer," she admitted. "Besides, everything has a price. You sought truth. I sought time. It's just that my price was a little higher."_

"_Shiki…"_

"_I made my choice." Shiki told him. "I do not regret it."_

**XXXXXX**

Ren and Shiki stood in front of a giant stone door with dragon engravings on it, flame torches lining the sides of the door. Both looked at each other before turning their gazes back towards the door.

They don't even have to open it to feel that malicious aura emanating from behind the door.

Make no mistake.

The Demon God is just behind these doors.

"The last door." Shiki murmured, one hand on the giant stone doors. "If we go through this, will I leave my past behind?" She wondered.

"Let's go." Ren said, and Shiki nodded.

As one, they both then pushed the doors opened.


	46. To the End

**Warnings: **Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Murder scenes. Lemon scenes.

**Disclaimer: **Part of this story will have settings and events taken out from various anime like Get Backers and Jigoku Shoujo, but I do not own any of them, nor do I own Naruto or any characters in this story save for OC characters

* * *

**Chapter Forty Six: To the End**

The first thing that they both could see—or couldn't see in this case, was darkness.

Complete and absolute darkness.

Both teenagers could barely see a step ahead of them, and just for a moment, they both hesitated. Even though they both could pretty much fight blind, both Shiki and Ren are still war veterans. Nothing is more terrifying than the unknown, and they've been in enough battles by now to trust their instincts.

Then all of a sudden, dark purple flames started lighting up at the sides of the chamber that they were both standing at the entrance of, with the flames forming a straight line at the sides of the chamber, giving them some light.

The chamber was still dark, but they could see vaguely. Without warning, a low orange light lit up the entire room, giving them visibility. Beside Shiki, Ren grasped his blade on instinct, eyes scanning the stone chamber.

It looks to be some sort of ceremonial chamber, made out of material that neither one of the two had seen before in their lives, as is common whenever it comes to things related to the Bijuu Nine. Not even Shiki had ventured this deep into the Lost Cave in the past.

There were strange seal markings on the floor, and wall murals telling the story of the Rise and Fall of the Gods on the walls. And right on the other end of the chamber where Shiki and Ren are at, there is a low platform.

"Nothing's happening." Ren said at last after a long while. "Is he really here?"

"He is." Shiki answered, eyes flickering around nervously. Something here is giving her a bad vibe. "Don't let down your guard." She warned, looking around, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the Demon God.

All her instincts were just screaming at her to run. She knows that the Demon God, the dark god is here, as she could sense the malicious aura in this room. All nin-users are sensitive to the changes in nature, and Shiki is no exception.

"_I am the one hiding under your bed. Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red…"_

Both Shiki and Ren stiffened as they heard a strange voice singing eerily. The voice could sound almost musical if it wasn't for the fact that they both could feel the very presence of the Demon God in this chamber. Both teenagers tightened their holds on their weapons.

"He's here." Both teenagers spoke as one.

"_I am the one hiding under the stairs, fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair. I am the clown with the tear-away face, here in a flash and gone without a trace."_

Shiki scanned the chamber quickly. She still sees nothing, but she can tell that something is definitely there.

"_I am the 'who' in the call 'who's there'? I am the wind blowing through your hair. I am the shadow on the moon at night…"_ A shape is slowly starting to take form on the low platform in front of them. _"…filling your dreams to the brim with fright…"_

A humanoid shape slowly took form in front of them, and both Shiki and Ren could only stare. If it wasn't for the strange clothing that this 'man' was wearing and the malicious aura coming from him, along with the red glowing eyes, they would have assumed that 'he' is an ordinary human.

"This…is the Demon God?" Ren croaked.

"The dark god. The Demon God, Madara." Shiki stated. "So this is how he looks like."

"A lowly human…" The Demon God's eyes flickered towards Ren. "…And a nin-user…" His gaze rested on Shiki this time around. "What a pair…" A cold malicious smirk appeared on his lips. "Back in my day, no human will see fit to associate with a nin-user. This had been the case for nearly four thousand years. After all, to the foolish humans, nin-users are nothing more than _monsters."_

Shiki barely restrained a flinch when she heard that word. After all, that had been the term used to associate with nin-users, and what she'd heard more often than not during her time spent in the foster homes until Jiraiya had found her.

"Shiki's not like that!" Ren snapped. Along with Blade, Ren knew just how much shit that Shiki has to put up with in Hagako, and even before that. And all just because she is unfortunate enough to be born a nin-user.

"Is that right? Then tell me, human. Do you dare to tell me that you had never once feared her?" The Demon God scoffed. "Even back during the era of the gods, even the humans back then feared our messengers – the nin-users. Do you dare to tell me that you had never once feared someone who possessed powers and abilities of the likes that you could never dream of? Of someone who could easily kill another person with just a snap of their fingers?"

Ren showed no fear as he looked at the Demon God in the eye, though his unease could easily be seen. Though that is more attributed to the fact that the malicious aura from the Demon God is greater than before.

"No. I had never once feared Shiki, and I never will," he stated. "Nin-user she might be, but she is still Shiki to me. I do not fear her."

"Is that right? Then tell me then. What business do you have with me?" The Demon God glared at the both of them. "Have you come to kill me once more? Just like back then? The way that your ancestors did?"

"We've come to stop you." Shiki stepped forward, showing no fear. "I may not like this world and how it treats the nin-users, but I do not wish for it to be destroyed. This is not the era of the gods anymore. The world belongs to the humans now."

"Fools. Why are you protecting the humans when they're the very reason why your kind had been getting hunted down and killed one after the other?" The Demon God hissed, red eyes boring into Shiki. "Do you not see that the world is better off without the humans? What I aim to create is a world with nin-users. I shall bring this world to what it originally was when we gods have created this world!"

Shiki showed no fear at the Demon God's anger as she faced him. "I admit that this world isn't all roses and daisies. Especially with the way that the nin-user hunts are carried out." Ren looked saddened at that. After all, how many times had he seen it, and he could do nothing to stop it? "I didn't like it. That's why I tried to do something to stop it. But in the end, I realised that evil had set its roots too deep into it for me to just fix it. The only way to stop it is to destroy it completely and built a new country. But no matter how…evil and useless that you feel humans might be, they are not without merit. There are still humans in this world who still have some goodness in their hearts."

The Demon God was silent for a long time. So long that Ren thought for a moment that Shiki had managed to reach through to him. Then the Demon God started laughing. "I see now. So you're the one that Kyuubi has chosen," he said. "You think just like _he_ does. Not that I should be surprised by that, seeing as how you're _his_ descendant." Ren looked surprised at that. Shiki has never mentioned it before. "Kyuubi rarely leaves behind his line. I can only remember two occurrences when it happens. What I hate is ignorance, smallness of imagination. The eye that sees no further than its own lashes. All things are possible. Who you are is limited only by who you think you are. If you think that this world is worth saving by just the merits of a few, then show me your resolve!"

Both Shiki and Ren stiffened, both with one hand on their weapons as a faint purple aura started forming in the space between them and the Demon God, and when it had faded, Shiki looked as if she had just swallowed a lemon, and Ren looked as if someone had just clobbered him over the head.

Ren was the first one to find his voice. "K-Kabuto?"

For standing in front of them was none other than Yakushi Kabuto, with the only difference being that his eyes are red. The silver haired teen smirked at them, and both Shiki and Ren steadied their holds on their weapons.

They knew what is going to happen, and what they have to do. Not that either of them thinks that they could end this battle without fighting. If it were possible, there wouldn't be this much blood shed during the past seven days.

"For a time stint spent in Hell, you sure look well, Kabuto." Shiki hissed, eyes flashing with rage as she remembered what had happened to Isaribi as a result of Kabuto's actions years ago.

"Never better." Kabuto declared, readying a couple of needles in between the fingers of both hands. "But now, it looks like I get my chance to get my revenge!" He hissed, eyes flashing at Shiki.

Ren snorted. "Revenge? What revenge? Revenge for _you_ selling out your own cousin like you did that it resulted in Isaribi being how she is now? If you ask me, Shiki did no wrong in killing you back then. She might have saved more people from ending up like Isaribi."

Kabuto hissed. "You're not as good and holy as you make yourself out to be!"

"No." Shiki said at once. "We are killers. And we might be criminals. Right from the start, I've never denied myself as such. But at the very least… Neither Ragnarok nor Blade will stoop as low as you!"

Shiki was gone in a blur before she had even finished speaking, dealing Kabuto a roundabout kick that he wasn't expecting in the least, and he lost hold of his needles which went scattering all over the floor. The redhead moved aside quickly, allowing Ren to follow up with another attack – one that he dealt to a semi stunned Kabuto by slicing off his arm.

Both Ren and Shiki watched with bated breaths as Kabuto got back to his feet, not seemingly affected in the least that he is now missing an arm. They both watched as a new arm re-grew back from the stump, and Shiki groaned. She is afraid that that is going to happen.

After all, if Yakushi Kabuto is indeed revived by the Demon God, then the same rule that applies to the Demon God's army applies to him here. They can't 'kill' him unless they hit him in the heart. He won't be tired out, and any limbs cut off will simply re-grow back.

"Damn! I was afraid that this is going to happen." Ren growled. He glanced at Shiki who sighed and nodded. The two then sprang apart, and what followed next was a flurry of attacks that Kabuto was hard pressed to block. Ren lashed out with a foot and kicked the floor out from beneath Kabuto's feet, and the silver haired teen found himself on the ground.

After all, no matter how 'immortal' that Yakushi Kabuto is now, not even he had the skills to take on both Namikaze Shiki and Ren at the same time and hope to win.

The silver haired teen then bit back a hiss as Ren's blade drove deep into his shoulder, pinning him to the floor as a barrel of a gun was pressed against his ribcage, and two pairs of menacing and unforgiving eyes glared at him.

"Why do you have such strength?" Kabuto hissed. "With strength like yours, you could have the world at your fingertips. Yet why? Why do you get so worked up over Isaribi, and yet, you barely even said a word when I left back then!"

Shiki only grow more furious at his words. "Because unlike you, Isaribi is not a coward. She never ran," she said simply. "She never ran from her fate. Like all of us, she took the things as it came, and never lament on her luck or the world like you did. You abandoned all of us, abandoned your own humanity as you ran to join up with the likes of people like Orochimaru and Danzo. Isaribi never did. Even after what you and Orochimaru had done to her, she faced the insults and abuse that the ignorant people of the world rained down on her. She took it all on without complaint and never strayed from her path. Isaribi and I… We both suspected for a long time that you were in cahoots with Orochimaru. That's why we both killed our hearts when it came to you. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a friend like you." Shiki pressed her gun deeper into Kabuto's ribcage. "Now at least have the courage to meet your end like all of us did!"

A gunshot rang out.

There was a moment of silence as Ren and Shiki stared straight down into Kabuto, and he then dissolved into dust.

There was silence for several moments before there was the sound of low chuckling, and both Shiki and Ren turned to face the Demon God.

"Now I see why he chose you." The Demon God stated, staring at Shiki. "You're strong. And I don't mean your skills. You're strong…in your heart. A nin-user's powers and abilities are enhanced or weakened according to their emotions. Your heart is strong. Unlike so many of your kind, you harbour no hatred against the world or even the humans in general."

Shiki was silent for a long time. "No matter what we say, you're not going to change your mind about destroying the world, are you?" she stated more than questioned. "All of us knew when we first started involving ourselves in this battle that it might just be our last. I do not fear Death. I will stop you, even if it kills me to do so!"

A faint hint of a smirk appeared on the Demon God's face, almost as if he is amused at Shiki's words. "Better men than yourself have tried, and none of them succeeded."

"Want to try us?" Ren hissed.

A look of dislike flashed past the Demon God's eyes. "I will not fall to some lowly human!" he hissed. "Death is not a hunter unbeknownst to its prey; one always aware of what lies in wait."

Ren could only stare. "Huh?"

Shiki's eyes widened. "Ren, get out of the way!" she hollered, but she was a step too late, as a blast of dark energy blasted Ren into the opposite wall, knocking stones and chunks of concrete out of it. "Ren!"

"Now let's see how a nin-user that is descended from the almightiest of all gods fares against me." The Demon God declared. "Show me your resolve, and your will to correct this world!"

Shiki breathed heavily, grasping her gun tightly in both hands. "I've always fought. Right from the very beginning, I've always fought. In the beginning, it is to survive. Later on, it is to protect. After that, it is to protect the few friends that I've made. But now, I know that I don't hate this world. This is my home, the home of my friends, and I'll protect it!" she hollered, facing the Demon God with determination in her eyes. "And if this is my fate, then I'll _fight_ my fate!"

**XXXXXX**

"Yugito, duck!"

Nii Yugito dropped down to the ground just as a clawed hand swiped at where her head would have been mere moments ago, and a glacier immediately struck the undead attacking her, skewering him neatly. The undead immediately dissolved into dust.

"This is getting us nowhere." Haku panted, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "We kill and kill, but their numbers aren't dwindling in the least! If anything, it is _increasing!"_

"I'm not surprised." Uchiha Sasuke commented not too far away from her, sending a blast of fire at about five of the undead at once, reducing them to dust. "With just how many that the Demon God's army have killed, and that is not including the people that _he_ had killed… How many do you think that makes up? And we're not just looking at the war that just started this year. We're looking at the people that had died as far back as four thousand years ago!"

"For now, we can only put our trust in Shiki and Ren and hope that they'll finish the job." Neji panted. "Someone needs to hold back the Demon God's army so that they wouldn't destroy the underground shelters. Practically the entire population of Japan is in there. If the army gets in there, they wouldn't stand a chance. We're all that stands in the army's way from getting there."

"It's Shiki and Ren." Gaara said simply. "They always have a plan."

Neji sighed. "I hope you're right," he said.

Yugito turned over her shoulder to look at the Lost Cave. _'Be sure to come back alive, Shiki. Everyone's waiting for you.'_

**XXXXXX**

Shiki coughed out blood, wincing as she got to her feet once more, holding onto her side. By the pain in her side, she could only assume that she had probably either cracked or broken some of her ribs.

The battle with the Demon God isn't going well. Her powers aren't exactly working against him, and neither are conventional weapons. Not that she should be surprised, as the opponent is a freaking _god!_ One of the ten gods that had been responsible for the creation of the world and all things living, humans included.

"If this is your level of strength, then I'm disappointed." The Demon God remarked, looking almost…bored.

"I'm not done yet!" Shiki hissed, wiping off a trail of blood from the ends of her lips.

"Give it up." The Demon God ordered. "You won't beat me at your level of strength. The nin-users' abilities and powers are strengthened or weakened not only by their emotions alone. But also by the danger that this world is in."

"What do you mean?" Shiki narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"During the era of the gods, the world was often threatened by unforeseen threats, often threatening the very life of this world itself. Hence, the nin-users are all that the world has as protection."

"Are you saying that the nin-users grow weaker or stronger depending on just how much danger that the world is in?" Shiki demanded. It probably explains a lot of things though. She had found old records of nin-users performing remarkable feats more than two thousand years ago, and had wondered why compared to then, the nin-users these days are…well, weak.

"Isn't that what I'm saying? With your level of strength, there is no way that you can beat me." The Demon God grinned a dark malicious grin. "You can't so much as hope to touch me."

Shiki glared. _'Damn. I need to find the right time to use the devil's fruit,'_ she thought, feeling the bag resting on her back. The canister that contains the plant that two of her friends have traded their lives for. _'But not now. Damn it! I'm not going to let it end like this!' _"I'm not going to let you win!" she hissed. "We will return! I won't let you touch them! I promised them this!"

The Demon God scowled. "How annoying. You're indeed Kyuubi's descendant. You're as much a hindrance in my side like he is. Now be gone!" he ordered as he lashed out with a dark energy blast that hit Shiki head on, and she then knew no more.

**XXXXXX**

Darkness…

It is all that she could see, or _couldn't_ see in this sense.

And she seems to be falling too…

Falling through what must be a endless abyss…

Her own memories started flashing past her, almost like a movie on fast forward. Her own past when she is part of Blade in Hagako, later on when she had met first Hinata and Neji, and then later formed Ragnarok…

_I don't do well as someone's follower though._

_No matter what you will decide in the future, I will always stand by you. I believe in you._

_Live on for me. Live on the way that I couldn't._

_We are friends, right?_

_I swear my loyalty._

_Let's meet on the other side again one day._

Blade had been her first friends, the very first people who knew what she is and had never turned on her. They depended on her and trusted her. But in the end, she wasn't able to protect them, and thus, Blade scattered eight years ago, with the remaining survivors striking out on their own.

Sumaru. Sai. Hotaru. Mizuiro. And Ren.

_You've got the eyes of someone drenched in cold rain._

_I've seen more battlefields than I ever wanted to, and soon grew a hatred for war._

_You've found your purpose, haven't you?_

Then she had met Iruka not long after she had left Hagako. The man who had often given them some food when they couldn't find any. During a time when they're still trying to find their own feet, and trying to find their way.

_We've made our decision._

_We are Ragnarok._

_We will follow you. Right to the end._

Ragnarok was formed not long after Blade had disbanded. And just like Blade before them, their members simply refused to leave her alone. And before she knew it, Ragnarok was formed. In the beginning, it was just to protect the nin-users of the land. And before she knew it, they are killing those who can't be touched by the law, or those whom the ANBU wouldn't arrest.

_It's my duty._

_You are Ragnarok, aren't you?_

_Please help him._

_Give me another chance, Shiki._

_What do you want me to do now?_

_Do you want another war?_

She had then first met Itachi, and then the ANBU teams – Rendoku and Akatsuki. And even though she can't stand about half of them, even she admitted that they're better than some of the ANBU agents in there.

_Wait a moment!_

_It'll be okay._

_We've been fools right from the very beginning anyway. But it's better to be a fool, than to live your life knowing nothing at all._

_We're going to make it out alive._

_Forget about me. Forget about everything. Forget that I even existed._

_I'll see you again, right?_

…_Shiki, everyone's waiting._

Is this…the end?

She had been fighting for such a long time now. Became involved in countless battles without knowing exactly _why_ she had been fighting so far. And along the way, she had dragged many of her friends into danger. But she had met people along the way, had learned to live again, found people whom she could call family, and had even learned to _love_ again.

But…

…_Too bad. But it's not your time yet._

What? What was that voice? She seemed to have heard it before.

_You still have a job to do, my child. Everyone's waiting for you._

That's right…

She still has people waiting for her…

She can't die here.

Not now!

_If it's you, I believe that you can do it. After all, the greatest power in the world is merely the power to believe in yourself. Once this is all over, I swear, my child, I shall return the favour._

_Now go, Namikaze Shiki. It shall be as you wish it._

* * *

Namikaze Shiki to her feet shakily, though judging by the pain that coursed through her body, she felt as if she had broken just about every bone in her body. The redhead cleaned away the blood from her temple as she took in several deep breaths.

"You're still alive?" The Demon God hissed in rage. "Why don't you just die already?"

"Too bad. I'm bad at giving up." Shiki panted. "And I told you. The only way that you're getting your way is when I'm dead. But too bad for you, I never go into battles without a plan. The very first lesson that I'd learned in Hagako is to always have a backup plan." Shiki then reached into her bag without taking her eyes off of the Demon God, removing the canister from within her bag.

The Demon God's eyes widened in fear for the first time when he saw the plant within the glass canister that Shiki is holding. "H-How did you get that?" he roared.

"You'll find that the wills of humans are greater than you had ever imagined." Shiki stated, removing her sword from the holster at the back of her waist. She then shattered the glass canister against the blade, ignoring the glass pieces as it broke her skin, holding the devil's fruit against her sword. "Too much blood has been shed to this day, Demon God, Madara. Enough is enough. Let's end this."

The sword that Shiki is holding then started to glow with a warm golden light, with its origin being the devil's fruit that she is currently holding against her sword.

"W-What is this?" Shiki could only stare on in bewilderment. That light seems to be helping with her injuries as well, as it doesn't hurt as much as it did a moment ago. If anything, it seems to be _healing_ her.

"That power…" The Demon God hissed. _"The Bijuu Nine!_ Curse you! So even now, you still interfere with me!"

"As long as one still believes, they will have their protection." Shiki stated without fear. "Man cannot face Death without first finding meaning in life. I learned that the hard way a long time ago. I do not fear Death. I fear living even more."

"Damn you!" The Demon God howled as he moved forward to attack Shiki, pure rage clear in his eyes. Shiki flinched, but she held her ground, not showing her fear, as she got ready to attack. The Demon God then stopped in his tracks. "W-What…is this?"

Shiki could only stare with wide eyes.

The rune symbols on the ground have started glowing with a pure holy white light, and semi-transparent figures have started rising from that light. The first to appear was a brunette that Shiki is quite familiar with by now, and she could only stare.

Kankuro smiled at Shiki, looking quite different now, as he doesn't look as if he had the weight of the world's burdens on his shoulders. "Hey Shiki. Long time no see," he greeted.

A girl with straight dark brown hair was the next to appear, grinning at her. "Guess I should say that 'you look well', shouldn't I?" Fuuma Sasame joked.

Two people appeared next from the light – a pink haired girl and a girl with pale blonde hair. "This time, we'll be helping you." Yamanaka Ino told Shiki quietly. "For what it's worth, I've never blamed you. I only have myself to blame for forgetting you, and forgetting what had happened back then."

"Protect everyone." Haruno Sakura told her.

An older looking teen with dark red hair emerged from the light, having a small warm smile on his face as he looked at Shiki. "Looks like I can't keep my promise in the end. But to make sure that we can still see the sunset in the future, let's end this." Amegashi Ein told Shiki.

A girl with raven black hair and a boy with brown hair emerged next from the light. "At the very least, we can help you this time." They told Shiki.

An old man with white hair appeared, grinning at Shiki. "You've come this far. At least let me help you with the remaining fight." Jiraiya told her.

Two people emerged from the light once more, smiling at Shiki. "Looks like we didn't die in vain then." Hotaru joked, and Mizuiro smiled at her gently. "This time, we can help you."

A young man with dark orange hair emerged from the light, smiling at Shiki. "I've been recalled back to help." Shimizu Yahiko told Shiki. "It gives me a chance to get my own back at the dark god. Always believe in yourself and your comrades, Shiki. It is what will give you the edge in battle."

"…Kankuro… Sasame… Sakura… Ino… Ein… Miyuki… Suzuki… Hotaru… Mizuiro… Jiraiya… Yahiko-san…" Shiki could only stare on with wide eyes as people whom she thought she had lost and would never see again appear before her eyes.

"The gods are stepping in, Shiki." Yahiko told her. "They've heard you, and this is their answer."

"You are not one to give up, brat." Jiraiya told her. "Like your parents before you, you're bad at giving up. You can do it."

"Shiki." Kankuro spoke up next. "Once this is over, please take care of them. I can't protect them any longer. But I'll always be here…" He tapped his chest. "…in your heart."

"The way that we nin-users fight…" Ein smiled at her. "Let's show him how it's done."

Shiki nodded with determination. "Yeah. Let's end this," she echoed their words, tightening her grasp on her sword with both hands. She was then taken aback as a hand held her wrist, and she then turned only to see a battered looking Ren next to her.

He smiled at her. "I'll help you," he offered. "Two heads are better than one. And we've always fought best together. Just like back in Hagako."

Shiki smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

"This is the final battle." Ren stated. "Let's go all out for this one!"

_The devil's fruit alone is not enough to bring down Madara. He is the 'yang'. He possesses the 'yang' power of the Bijuu Nine._

Shiki's eyes widened, then narrowed. _'What should I do?'_

_The Phrase of the Book. Repeat what I say._

"Your efforts are futile! I _cannot_ die!" The Demon God roared.

"…I bow to thee and beseech you…" Ren froze and turned his head towards Shiki. The redhead had a look of concentration on her face, and she had two fingers raised before her face. "The Nine Gods that protect me. Appear before me! Come out! _Suzaku!"_

* * *

"_Yugito!"_

Hinata was screaming as she watched Yugito fall to the ground, holding her side as she was struck down by one of the army. The same undead raised his sword above his head, ready to bring it down onto Yugito.

"We won't make it in time!" Haku raced towards Yugito, but knew that she wouldn't make it in time.

* * *

A vortex of flame whirled around the Demon God, seemingly burning him before the flames died away once away, with not a scratch on the Demon God's body.

"I thought you said that it is going to kill him?" Ren turned towards Shiki, confused, but Shiki said nothing.

Instead, the redhead took one step forwards, running towards the Demon God, with the sword upraised, and she then thrust it into the gut of the Demon God before he could even do anything. There was a look of shocked surprise on the Demon God's face before Shiki stepped backwards, letting the sword that she's holding clatter to the ground. The mistletoe plant fell lightly next to the sword, the golden light dispersing from the plant.

"He's mortal." Shiki answered in response to Ren's question as he stepped up next to her.

A smile then appeared on the Demon God's face. "Heh. So this is it," he croaked. "So this is it."

"Why do you hate this world so much? You love humans so much at one time." Ren wanted to know.

"Because no matter how much I wished for, humans still hate everything unknown to them – especially the nin-users. Thousands of them died at the hands of humans. And all for what? For being born as a nin-user?" The Demon God looked tired. "But the world is changing. And I can see that now. If the world is in the hands of someone like you…" He looked at both Shiki and Ren. "Then I think I can leave it in your capable hands. The era of the gods has come to an end. It is now the era of the humans. Whether destruction will rain down upon the world someday or not, it will entirely be your choice." He smiled. "Four thousand years… It has finally ended. My existence is brief… So be it…"

A dark crimson glow surrounded the Demon God before the light exploded, causing both Ren and Shiki to cover their eyes. And when it had ended, there is nothing left of the Demon God but just a round crimson orb.

* * *

"What…on earth?" Itachi could barely croak out as the Demon God's army dissolved into dust all of a sudden.

"They've…disappeared?" Kisame uttered in confusion.

"That means that they've succeeded." Sasuke smiled.

"Everyone! Is everyone all right?" A familiar voice called out just then, and both Ragnarok and the former ANBUs turned towards the source of the voice only to see both Ren and Shiki heading towards them, though they were more _staggering,_ and both looked as if they have just been through World War Three with a bull-eye target on their backs.

"Drained. But fine." Gaara answered Shiki as they reached them. "Did you succeed?"

"Of course we did. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here now." Shiki answered, looking at a crimson red orb in the palm of her hand.

"What is that, Shiki?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Later." Shiki told her, glancing at the ANBUs warily. "Is everyone all right?"

"Yeah. But I want nothing more than a good long soak." Yugito sighed, one arm around Tenten's shoulders, with the latter supporting Yugito's weight.

"Good." Shiki nodded. "Ragnarok. We're splitting." She ordered, much to the ANBUs' surprise.

"Huh? Why?" Kiba asked in confusion.

"Because in the end, we're still criminals after all." Ren was the one that answered the question. "And you ANBUs have a duty to arrest us."

"We're leaving." Shiki ordered, and she received nods from her friends, before all of them got ready to leave.

"Wait!" Itachi called out, unwilling to just see Shiki walk away from him like this. Who knew when he would get to see her again?

"In this world, there is so much of what looks like love, and sounds like love, and calls itself love, but it isn't." Shiki told Itachi mysteriously. "It's just people saying and doing what they think that they ought to say and do."

"What?" Sasuke was confused.

"This war will continue." Shiki told them, looking from face to face. "It isn't over yet. But where it will take, I have no idea. I have done all that I could. The rest will be up to you. But make no mistake, more blood will be shed. I can tell you this now: the greatest service that a warrior can render to their country is to see that his skills are never called upon." The redhead then turned to move away, with her friends following her. "Ragnarok, let's move out!"

"Shiki! Wait!" Itachi called out.

Shiki paused in her step and turned to look over her shoulder. "Japan is in your hands now," she told the shocked Uchiha. "Rebuild it. Make a new justice system. Make a new law system. One where no one will be treated unfairly. One where the nin-users are given equal rights. And whether we will return again or not, it will entirely be up to you, Uchiha Itachi."

**XXXXXX**

_Six months after the end of the battle against the Demon God marked several changes to the country of Japan._

_As one of those present from the start until the end, I can only say that it probably marks a new beginning and a new future for those in the land. But whether it will stay that way or not is still too soon to say._

_Looking back and seeing all that has happened up to this point, knowing it cannot be undone, cannot be stopped. And to have millions look upon you as they would a saviour, a conqueror, a monster._

_This is how reality works._

_I've never regretted my choice, though in some cases, I wish that we had made those choices a little differently. Too much blood has been shed after all._

_And we saw how the events shaped reality, seeing how our actions and influence has warped the path of destiny. There is only one way to go for us now. We can no longer stop, and neither can we go back. We can only press forward._

_Shiki is right: This battle will be spoken about for generations to come, as a world sees what we have become._

_This will be my last diary entry. To whoever picks this up and read it, these are the true accounts of the Seven Day Battle against the Demon God._

_This is Shisei Haku, signing out._

**XXXXXX**

Namikuri Inari watched in awe as the sakura flowers blossomed slowly on the tree that he's currently standing beneath. The buds of the blossoming flowers opened slowly, and fanned out, revealing the pretty pink petals of the flowers.

Spring has come.

A spring that Inari had thought that he would never get to see.

The past year had been just crazy, especially with the war. It had been six months since the end of the war, and the country is slowly picking up its feet. Inari hadn't been impressed in the least when he heard that former ANBU agents were the ones leading the rebuilding. But so far, they've been doing a fantastic job, and don't seem to be using the old law system.

"What are you doing?" A gentle voice asked him, and Inari jumped as he turned only to see a pretty dark haired girl smiling at him. He blushed, muttering something about waiting for a friend. Though Konohamaru sure is late. "Waiting for your friends, huh?" The girl smiled at him. "You remind me of someone whom I knew." She said wistfully. "Of whatever memory that still remains, that is. I've been wandering around for a long time, trying to remember… Or am I trying to forget? I have no idea anymore." At this point, Inari has no idea if the girl is speaking to him or just talking out loud to herself. "Maybe… I've let her down as well? It's been such a long time, and I can't be a hero anymore. The world has no need for heroes anymore."

"What…do you mean?" Inari asked carefully.

"A person's true nature can't be changed." The girl smiled wistfully, staring up at the blossoming sakura tree. "That's especially true for _her._ Throughout all these years, she hasn't changed a bit. Tell me." She turned her gaze towards Inari. "Do you believe in heroes?"

"Heroes?" Inari echoed with confusion.

"Probably for you, heroes are only something that you find in fairy tales. But they do exist." The girl smiled. "I knew a hero. In fact, you remind me of her. That will to never give up. She lets her heart do the talking for her, and there isn't anything that she won't do for her friends. She'll even brave high and hell waters just to help them. That's…just the kind of person that she is. All of us depended on her. But maybe… We should have helped her with some of her burdens at some point. Now… All that we could do is make sure that she gets a life with peace…at least for a while." She sighed. "I should go now."

"What's her name?" Inari called out to the young woman as she turned to leave. He had a feeling that he should know the person whom she's talking about. "What is her name? The person that you're talking about."

The girl smiled. "Well…"

**XXXXXX**

The former High Council, now renamed as the New Parliament are made up of the leaders of every single town and village that had ever existed in Japan. Even the leaders of organisations like the ANBU and Mist are involved in the New Parliament.

And currently, it is where Mei Terumi was arguing with the other members of the New Parliament in another one of their meetings.

The subject of the argument is _always_ the same.

_Ragnarok._

And given the fact that Ragnarok had all but dropped off the face of the earth for the past six months, no one could find them at all, no matter how hard that they have tried. Mei knew for a fact that the ANBU Special Tactics team, formerly known as Akatsuki, have been trying to find them, but to no avail.

"Exactly. They're _dangerous."_ Mei cut in the argument, eyes daring the New Parliament to argue. "And the world knows it. The _entire world_ knows it. There isn't a single person who has no idea of who they are by now. Russia. France. Italy. England. America. And New Whirlpool." The country that had lost the war against them a little more than ten years ago had rebuilt their country, though it is going to take more time before they're back at full power. "They are all believers of Ragnarok's ideals and beliefs – equality and human rights for nin-users. And if you hunt down Ragnarok and make yourselves an enemy of them, you make an enemy of those countries. And trust me, gentlemen, I have no wish to be in your shoes when they decide to take action."

"Then what? We leave them be?"

"If I am you, I will do so." Mei cut in. "You know what they can and will do if they are forced into a corner. There is nothing more terrifying than a Ragnarok member when they're cornered. We can't afford to anger them. And whether or not that they will return to this country once more, it will entirely be how Japan will be run in the future."

**XXXXXX**

Uchiha Sasuke smirked as he looked at the figure sitting on one of the tree branches above his head, pink petals raining down around him from the tree.

It's been some time since he'd seen her, and he had wondered if she'd be showing her face in this country anytime soon. Many agents of the now rebuilt ANBU had assumed that that organisation had long skipped the country, with just how long that they have been inactive.

"It's been a long time," she said, looking down at Sasuke. "How is it? How is everyone?"

"We're getting by." Sasuke admitted. "At the very least, we managed to see a spring that none of us thought that we'll ever get to see." He glanced at the sakura petals around him. "You're right." He looked up at her. "Destroying an old era is easy. Building a new one is more difficult than expected. But we're getting by."

"I see," said the girl with a small smile on her lips. "If it's you guys, I'm sure that you can do it. I've been hearing rumours about the new system. Even the underground is pitching in to help. And if _they_ are pitching in, it must mean that they have high hopes for being accepted into society, and that this new system will be better than the old one."

"It is our home. We will protect it." Sasuke shrugged. He then took a deep breath before looking at the girl once more. "I have a question. Did you do what you did to my brother…because of your friends?" He asked carefully. "Because…he killed them?"

The girl was silent for a long time. "…I wanted to do worse, trust me," she said at last. "But in the end, I decided…that emotional wounds and scars are a lot worse than physical ones. I wanted him to live, knowing that _he_ is the reason why half of his comrades and the country are now lying in pine boxes in the ground. It's much more cruel than killing him. I want him to live, knowing that he is the cause of everything. That he lost what he could never have."

"I know that I've asked you this before, but I'm asking this for the last time. Did you ever love my brother?" Sasuke asked. "Just…tell me that. Nothing else even matters anymore. Not after everything."

The girl said nothing for some time before she looked at Sasuke straight in the eye. "No," she said simply. "Like I said before, this is my job. I used what I could to achieve my means. I'm not above using others to attain my goal. I doubt that you will understand."

"I do," said Sasuke, much to her surprise. "It's just… Thank you for sparing him."

"He's your family. I don't want to rob you of it. And I don't want to see you living on in hatred. It can ruin you. I've seen it happen hundreds of times." The girl told him. "I should go."

"You're not seeing him?" Sasuke asked in surprise, and she shook her head. "I see. Will I see you again?"

"Maybe. Though whether we Ragnarok will return to this country on business again or not, it will entirely be up to you. Bye, Sasuke." The girl then vanished in a flash of light, leaving leaves scattering to the ground from her leave.

Sasuke smiled. "Yeah. See you around, Shiki."

**XXXXXX**

"How is he?" Gaara asked Nishimura Rin as she stepped out of the room.

"It's hard to tell now. But what I can tell you is that he is lucky to even be alive. Let's face it. The battle that he was in nearly killed him. By all rights, he should be dead right now." Rin told Gaara. "I guess it is some small mercy by the gods that granted him some reprise."

"Will he regain his memory?" Temari asked Rin anxiously. "He remembered us. But he is missing several large parts of his memory – like the last battle, and what had happened."

"I have no idea." Rin admitted, looking over her shoulder into the room where Sai is sitting up in the bed, staring out of the window, dressed in hospital garbs. Sumaru was seated in the chair next to him, skinning an apple. "Time can only tell."

**XXXXXX**

Shisei Haku looked up at the sakura tree.

_Let's make a promise._

_What kind of promise?_

_No matter what happens, and what decisions that we will make in the future, we'll always be friends, right?_

_Of course._

_We're friends, aren't we?_

"Shiki." Haku turned towards Inari. "Her name is Shiki. To me, she's a true hero. But unlike her, I can't be a hero anymore. That's why…the least that I can do is to protect her."

She then turned and walked away from Inari, heading towards the entrance of the town of Katokori where Namikaze Shiki was waiting for her, her motorbike parked next to her. Haku nodded to Shiki.

"Shiki."

"Ready?" Shiki asked Haku. "We're about to go. Baled will be coming two days after us. We're taking Sai ahead with us. Sumaru and Baled will meet us there."

"Okay." Haku nodded. "It's just…" She struggled with her words. "We can no longer stay in this country, can we?"

"We've done our job. We've done all that we could. Now it's up to them." Shiki told Haku, and she nodded. "Whatever happens from here… Let's leave it up to them. The New Parliament. The new ANBU… Even the new police force. Whether we return again or not…will be entirely up to them."

**XXXXXX**

Uchiha Itachi walked out of the new ANBU headquarters solemnly.

It had been a rough six months, but now, everything is settling in nicely. Itachi mainly attributed it to the fact that nearly the entire country is in shambles, and they're desperately looking for a chain of command.

The Special Tactics team that is formerly Akatsuki are now, in a manner of speaking, the ones calling the shots at the ANBU. Mei Terumi is mainly the main spokesperson for the New Parliament, as she commands the most respect there, thanks to her work during the war. And thanks to her presence, even the underground is working on rebuilding the destroyed villages and towns during the Demon God's rampage.

The era of the gods has come to an end. Now it's time for the humans to take charge for once.

Itachi looked up in the blue sky with the puffy white clouds, shielding his eyes as a particularly chilly wind blew past him. _'The cherry blossoms are blooming prettily, Shiki,'_ he thought. _'In the land which you protected… I wonder how many tomorrows have come and gone since that day? This country has changed, as is the very soul of the world. People still fear the nin-users, but that is to be expected. Slowly but surely, we're working on it. Where are you?'_

"Hey! Are you Uchiha Itachi?" Itachi blinked and saw a cheeky looking brunette boy not much older than twelve or thirteen standing in front of him. "Are you Uchiha Itachi?" He asked again impatiently.

"I am. Who's asking?" Itachi asked.

"I got a letter for you." The boy told him, pushing a rather heavy envelope into Itachi's hand. "Bye!" He then took off.

Itachi opened the envelope curiously, and a rather familiar looking bracelet fell out. His eyes widened.

"_Well, then this is an early birthday present, I guess," said Itachi before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a red and blue thread-woven tribal-like bracelet that seemed to be handmade. "I had it made awhile back for your birthday. It is in another three weeks, isn't it?"_

"_Yes," said Shiki with a nod. "I'm surprised that you remembered."_

"Hey!" Itachi called out to the boy who was mingling in with the crowd by now. "Who gave this to you?" He hollered.

The boy grinned. "Namikaze Shiki!" he hollered back before disappearing into the crowd.

Itachi unfolded the letter in the envelope quickly, and read it quickly. His eyes looked ready to bulge out of its sockets the further he read, and he then looked up sharply, scanning for a familiar shade of red hair within the crowd.

Finally, he spotted a glimpse of red hair amongst the crowd, and started pushing his way through, his mind in a whirl.

**XXXXXX**

"Shiki said that she will join up with us soon." Hinata told her cousin even as she sat in the pilot seat in Exilia. The rest of Ragnarok are already onboard, alongside with Sai. Haku sat next to her in the other pilot seat, fiddling with the controls. "It's finally happening." She smiled.

Neji smiled and nodded. "Yeah. A paradise just for us. On a stretch of land on an island. _Isle Ragnarok."_

"We've done this much. Now the least that the world can do is to leave us in peace." Shino sighed, removing his shades and rubbing his eyes. "It is finally over."

**XXXXXX**

Itachi pushed his way through the crowd, keeping his eyes on that shade of red hair that he could see, his mind in a whirl as he recalled the contents of the letter that he'd just read a few moments ago. His mind flashed back to all his encounters with one Namikaze Shiki, and what she'd said and done with each one.

"_I created Ragnarok. I have a responsibility to them."_

"_Do you think that the ANBU is behind everything?"_

"_You only know what and who you truly are when you're about to die."_

"_Riku will be safe with us." Mei reassured Shiki. "He'll get better."_

_Shiki nodded. "When he wakes up, change his name. No one must know that there still are survivors of Blade. It'll be asking for trouble." Mei nodded. "Then I'm leaving Riku to you."_

Itachi looked left and right frantically, the letter clutched in his right hand.

"_What do you wish for?"_

"_I'll change the world. Even if I have to destroy it to do so."_

"_One thing that you should know about Shiki too. People tend to underestimate her. But be wary though. She has a brilliant mind, and a wit to match it. I hadn't met anyone that can match her yet. No one. And she isn't above using others or even herself to achieve her goal."_

"_I wasn't planning on falling for you."_

Itachi looked left and right. _'Everything… Was it all a lie, Shiki?' _he thought desperately.

_Ren was waiting outside the house for her when Shiki exited, leaving a slumbering Uchiha Itachi in the house. "Did you sleep with him?" he asked nonchalantly._

"_No. Not even I'm that desperate, Ren." Shiki told her old friend. She then glanced over her shoulder at the second floor bedroom. "I merely…showed him a good dream." Her eyes flashed red. "I will not allow any man to touch me. Especially if he is of ANBU origin."_

_Ren smirked. "Is that right?"_

Itachi stopped in his step in the middle of the street, chuckling lowly to himself. "Is that how it is?" he whispered, the last pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place. He looked at the letter in his hand once more, re-reading it again.

_It has been a long time coming, but everything has gone according to plan, Uchiha Itachi. And like what I've said to you before, we'll be leaving Japan in your hands. Whether we come again or not will be entirely up to you. Right from the start, we've already decided this. _

_All of us knew that this country would never accept the nin-users. Before we can leave Japan to you ANBU, we took it upon ourselves to right this country. And we did it the only way we knew how – by ridding them of the disease._

_The ANBU. Oto. Ne. And even the High Council._

_For the nin-users, we created a paradise, a new country for them. One where we'll be going after this. Don't bother trying to find us; you never will._

_I probably did love you once if you are asking that question. But I guess it became too much in the end. Your ideals and way of thinking is never compatible with mine. We will never be happy together. _

_I didn't know just when I started to realise that I no longer loved you, but probably, from the time when Kankuro had died._

_I realised that from the start, I saw Riku in you. Satochi Riku. My friend and comrade from my Blade days. And my first love._

**XXXXXX**

Namikaze Shiki felt like she is on fire as Ren kissed her, hands running all over her body, as the two make out on the fresh grassy plain of Isle Ragnarok.

Jiraiya had told her about the island a long time ago, and he doubts that anyone even know that it existed, as it is out in the middle of nowhere. When Ragnarok had headed to the island, the first thing that Shiki did is to make rune inscriptions onto the foundations of the island so that it is hidden from view.

The island is basically like a small country, with fresh grassy plains and plants, even with a large cottage big enough for all of them to live in. Throughout the years after Shiki had learnt about the island, she had bought livestock like cattle and even chickens and hens to the island, and there were multiple fruit trees and food growing all over the island. That's basically where Shiki had spent all her money on throughout the years. Jiraiya had helped as well, getting several people whom he could trust to build the cottage on the island, and even buying everything that a house needs.

Shiki had also brought their old boathouse over to the island in case they needed to head to the mainland for supplies. This island basically has everything that they ever needed, and it will be their Paradise.

In a room on the second floor of the cottage, Hinata blew on the porridge gently as she fed it to Sai who ate it without complaints. The blue haired girl smiled as she looked out of the window only to spy Ren and Shiki in the middle of their 'activity' and she rolled her eyes. While she is glad and all that Shiki is not with that ANBU bastard any longer, couldn't they have picked a more private location for their make out session?

"You sure about this?" Shiki asked from beneath Ren, her face slightly flushed.

"I'm sure." Ren nodded. "Whether you're a human or a nin-user, that had never been important to me. Even right from the very beginning. You're you. That's all that matters." Shiki laughed. "Something funny?"

"Just thinking that it's so you." Shiki smiled up at Ren, placing her hand at the side of his cheek. "It's funny. I suddenly feel so light. Everything is over at last."

"Yeah." Ren nodded. "Don't worry, I'll always be with you. As long as the sun sets and the moon rise. Even after we're dead, I'll still love you. We'll always be partners, no matter what happens. Even time could not hinder us."

**XXXXXX**

Itachi could only stand there in shock. "You masterminded everything?" he whispered, his heart going at a hundred miles per minute, even as his mind tried to comprehend everything that is happening. "How had I never suspected?"

"_She's a master manipulator."_

"_I've told you: I don't care what I have to do in order to achieve my goals. I will do it."_

_I won't apologise. You should have realised from the very beginning that it is the law of the jungle in this world. You're an ANBU. You should know that. And I've told you before: I'm not above using others or myself to achieve my means. I will do anything necessary, even be as cruel as I can, if only to protect them._

_If we are meant to be, we are. If it isn't, forget about me. You chased after me, only because I gave you the thrill and excitement of a chase and a mystery. That isn't love, Itachi. And I think…that a real love will not be noticed so easily. _

_I've promised myself when I had created Ragnarok that when I had ended everything, I will visit my parents' graves, along with that of my friends, and tell them, 'The war has finally ended. Our battle is finally over. Nin-users finally have a place to call home'._

_We are just two people never meant to meet. But meet we did, as that is to be our fate. But the roads that we walk on are different right from the very beginning. No matter how hard you wish it, we will never be._

_I do not love you._

_Not in the way that you wanted._

_We live in a world with a future – one that we struggled to protect. One that was shaped by our very hands. We risked our lives, because they were in it. You risked your life, because of I. We both have nothing left, nothing to regret._

_Now as I look at the future, I think I can smile._

_So when the time comes, let's play a game again._

Itachi chuckled to himself at the irony of having been played like a violin by one person for years and he had never realised it. He had never even suspected it. "I see… So that's how it is…" He nearly crushed the letter in his hands. "Namikaze Shiki… You truly are one scary woman. You are a master manipulator."

He spied the last words on the letter and laughed out loud, causing several weird looks to be headed his way, but he didn't care. Because those words describes the situation best.

_Peaceful Days are over. Let's Survive._

* * *

_A/N: And this story has at last come to an end! I hope that you guys have enjoyed reading it, as I know that I've enjoyed writing it. So does the ending surprise you, or have you already anticipated it? I would like to know your thoughts on this matter. I am currently playing with the idea of coming up with a sequel for this story. Do you wish for one?_

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!_


End file.
